Age Level: Adult
Format: Book
Alternating between present day and 1900, Moore gives readers a bit of a mystery. In the present day, the leading Sherlock Holmes expert has found the lost Arthur Conan Doyle 1900 diary and arrives at the annual Baker Street Irregulars meeting to present his findings. Only, he's murdered before he has a chance to tell his secret. And, the diary is missing from his hotel room. Recent Irregulars inductee Harold White, using his Sherlockian knowledge, decides he will discover the identity of the killer. Naturally, he gets more than he bargains for...
In 1900, Arthur Conan Doyle lives with an outraged public after he "killed off" Holmes in The Final Problem. However, he is soon drawn into a real life murder of a young woman, and he asks for assistance from his friend Bram Stoker (of Dracula fame). Doyle brings his character to life as he and Stoker follow clues to the killer's identity.
Lovers of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this novel. Even those who love historical stories will enjoy this novel. Though I have not read any Sherlock Holmes mysteries (a situation I hope to change in the near future!), I am very glad I read The Sherlockian. Moore's writing style makes the book easy to read and follow the plot line in both centuries. With shortish chapters, he maintains the reader's interest from century to century.
The novel's mysteries may just have you thinking What Would Sherlock Do?
Reviewed by Jessica
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
97 Orchard: an Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman
Age Level: Adult
Format: Book
Ziegelman transports readers to New York City around the turn of the twentieth century and introduces them to five ethnically unique families that lived at the 97 Orchard Street tenement - German, Irish, German Jewish, Russian Jewish and Italian. Ziegelman explores in this nonfiction history book the foods of each of these ethnic groups and provides basic insight into the daily and social lives of the immigrants, even including a description of life on Ellis Island for new arrivals and deportees. Recipes and photographs are scattered throughout the pages, connecting readers to the discussion.
This is not a culinary history of the individual families living at 97 Orchard Street per se; rather, it is a culinary history of immigrants much like these families living in the tenements of New York City. Some readers may be discouraged that more anecdotes of the individual families highlighted are not present in the narrative. However, I really enjoyed this book because Ziegelman, beginning with a brief background of each family, tours New York City markets, tenements, work places, restaurants and other food-related haunts of different immigrant groups. By the end, readers will gain a better appreciation for our culinary heritage. Well-written and well-researched, this is a very unique look at history and one that I highly recommend.
Reviewed by Jessica
Format: Book
Ziegelman transports readers to New York City around the turn of the twentieth century and introduces them to five ethnically unique families that lived at the 97 Orchard Street tenement - German, Irish, German Jewish, Russian Jewish and Italian. Ziegelman explores in this nonfiction history book the foods of each of these ethnic groups and provides basic insight into the daily and social lives of the immigrants, even including a description of life on Ellis Island for new arrivals and deportees. Recipes and photographs are scattered throughout the pages, connecting readers to the discussion.
This is not a culinary history of the individual families living at 97 Orchard Street per se; rather, it is a culinary history of immigrants much like these families living in the tenements of New York City. Some readers may be discouraged that more anecdotes of the individual families highlighted are not present in the narrative. However, I really enjoyed this book because Ziegelman, beginning with a brief background of each family, tours New York City markets, tenements, work places, restaurants and other food-related haunts of different immigrant groups. By the end, readers will gain a better appreciation for our culinary heritage. Well-written and well-researched, this is a very unique look at history and one that I highly recommend.
Reviewed by Jessica
Friday, December 31, 2010
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Age Level: Teen
Format: Book
Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, or Ani for short, has the gift of speaking with animals, conversing in their language. Ani prefers to converse with the swans than to attend to her duties as the Crown Princess of Kildenree. This upsets her mother, the queen, who decides she must send Ani to Bayern to marry the Bayern prince. As Ani and her entourage journey to Bayern, Ani discovers a plot to kill her before the entourage reaches Bayern. Running for her life, Ani must use her gifts and find inner strength to combat her enemies before something happens to her or even to Kildenree.
This is the first book in the Books of Bayern series and is based on a Grimms’s fairy tale. With wonderful prose and a clear storyline, The Goose Girl is a wonderful book. Hale writes specifically for the teen audience, addressing issues such as self-esteem and peer pressure. Readers can see Ani’s inner strength and self confidence grow during the book’s narration, with the help of friends she makes and from believing in herself.
Reviewed by Jessica
Format: Book
Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, or Ani for short, has the gift of speaking with animals, conversing in their language. Ani prefers to converse with the swans than to attend to her duties as the Crown Princess of Kildenree. This upsets her mother, the queen, who decides she must send Ani to Bayern to marry the Bayern prince. As Ani and her entourage journey to Bayern, Ani discovers a plot to kill her before the entourage reaches Bayern. Running for her life, Ani must use her gifts and find inner strength to combat her enemies before something happens to her or even to Kildenree.
This is the first book in the Books of Bayern series and is based on a Grimms’s fairy tale. With wonderful prose and a clear storyline, The Goose Girl is a wonderful book. Hale writes specifically for the teen audience, addressing issues such as self-esteem and peer pressure. Readers can see Ani’s inner strength and self confidence grow during the book’s narration, with the help of friends she makes and from believing in herself.
Reviewed by Jessica
Thursday, November 4, 2010
A Desirable Residence by Madeleine Wickham
Age Level: Adult
Format: Book
Wickham, who writes the Shopaholic series under Sophie Kinsella, tells the story of how one house affects the lives of those around it. Liz and Jonathan Chambers recently purchased a tutorial college outside London. This is great for them, except for the mortgage that comes with the purchase. In order to have enough money for the tutorial college’s mortgage, they need to sell their current home. Listed with Witherstone’s Real Estate Agency, the house shows no promise of selling, though Marcus Witherstone knows the perfect couple who are interested in renting a house, Ginny and Piers Prentice. Ginny and Piers move into the house; Liz and Jonathan’s teenage daughter Alice becomes entranced with the new tenants. And, Liz develops a crush on Marcus, which turns into a bit more than simple flirtations. As the novel progresses, these characters find themselves in sticky and irreversible situations that may cost them more than their self-respect.
I enjoyed this novel. Perfect for a vacation and beach read, the novel reads quickly and is a great diversion from every day life. Wickham creates characters that really do not appear likable – most of the characters have a secret agenda, dreaming that their lives change for the better, creating richer lifestyles or higher levels of fame. I personally feel sorry for Jonathan, whose family seems to really detest him, though he is arguably the least attention seeking amongst them and the other characters.
Those who enjoy the Shopaholic series should try this novel. If you like light, fluffy reads, check this out.
Reviewed by Jessica
Format: Book
Wickham, who writes the Shopaholic series under Sophie Kinsella, tells the story of how one house affects the lives of those around it. Liz and Jonathan Chambers recently purchased a tutorial college outside London. This is great for them, except for the mortgage that comes with the purchase. In order to have enough money for the tutorial college’s mortgage, they need to sell their current home. Listed with Witherstone’s Real Estate Agency, the house shows no promise of selling, though Marcus Witherstone knows the perfect couple who are interested in renting a house, Ginny and Piers Prentice. Ginny and Piers move into the house; Liz and Jonathan’s teenage daughter Alice becomes entranced with the new tenants. And, Liz develops a crush on Marcus, which turns into a bit more than simple flirtations. As the novel progresses, these characters find themselves in sticky and irreversible situations that may cost them more than their self-respect.
I enjoyed this novel. Perfect for a vacation and beach read, the novel reads quickly and is a great diversion from every day life. Wickham creates characters that really do not appear likable – most of the characters have a secret agenda, dreaming that their lives change for the better, creating richer lifestyles or higher levels of fame. I personally feel sorry for Jonathan, whose family seems to really detest him, though he is arguably the least attention seeking amongst them and the other characters.
Those who enjoy the Shopaholic series should try this novel. If you like light, fluffy reads, check this out.
Reviewed by Jessica
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd
Age Level: Adult
Format: Book
Janeites beware: this is Mansfield Park, with a twist! In Shepherd’s novel, Fanny Price is a rich heiress with a very disagreeable character. Mary Crawford, on the other hand, is a charming young woman whose monetary situation brings her to stay with her sister in the area’s parsonage. When Fanny is found brutally murdered on Mansfield Park’s grounds, Mary and Charles Maddox, a thief-taker (private investigator, so to speak), work towards discovering the identity of the killer. Could it be Edmund Norris, Fanny’s fiancé and the man Mary adores? Or, could it be Mary’s brother, Henry Crawford, who is hiding some deep, dark secrets? Or, maybe it was one of Fanny’s cousins, sick and tired of Fanny’s attitude. The plot’s twists and turns will keep readers guessing up to the end.
I was not sure what to expect when I first started reading this novel. It seemed appalling that Fanny Price of Jane Austen’s mind could be turned into such a detested person in Shepherd’s novel, whereas Austen’s manipulative Mary Crawford becomes a very intelligent and warm person in this novel. But, this twist on the classic does work. Some Jane Austen fans will not like this: Shepherd takes the liberty of changing the characters’ information and background, besides Fanny and Mary, to fit the novel’s plot line. However, those who do not like Austen’s Fanny Price or Mansfield Park may enjoy this mystery novel just because it is not like the original. Shepherd also mirrors Austen’s writing style, which helps to set the tone of the novel. The mystery plot will appeal to historical mystery enthusiasts or those who enjoy reading mysteries set in the English countryside.
I have read several interpretations and adaptations of Austen novels, and this is one of the better ones.
Reviewed by Jessica
Format: Book
Janeites beware: this is Mansfield Park, with a twist! In Shepherd’s novel, Fanny Price is a rich heiress with a very disagreeable character. Mary Crawford, on the other hand, is a charming young woman whose monetary situation brings her to stay with her sister in the area’s parsonage. When Fanny is found brutally murdered on Mansfield Park’s grounds, Mary and Charles Maddox, a thief-taker (private investigator, so to speak), work towards discovering the identity of the killer. Could it be Edmund Norris, Fanny’s fiancé and the man Mary adores? Or, could it be Mary’s brother, Henry Crawford, who is hiding some deep, dark secrets? Or, maybe it was one of Fanny’s cousins, sick and tired of Fanny’s attitude. The plot’s twists and turns will keep readers guessing up to the end.
I was not sure what to expect when I first started reading this novel. It seemed appalling that Fanny Price of Jane Austen’s mind could be turned into such a detested person in Shepherd’s novel, whereas Austen’s manipulative Mary Crawford becomes a very intelligent and warm person in this novel. But, this twist on the classic does work. Some Jane Austen fans will not like this: Shepherd takes the liberty of changing the characters’ information and background, besides Fanny and Mary, to fit the novel’s plot line. However, those who do not like Austen’s Fanny Price or Mansfield Park may enjoy this mystery novel just because it is not like the original. Shepherd also mirrors Austen’s writing style, which helps to set the tone of the novel. The mystery plot will appeal to historical mystery enthusiasts or those who enjoy reading mysteries set in the English countryside.
I have read several interpretations and adaptations of Austen novels, and this is one of the better ones.
Reviewed by Jessica
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