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Cuilin

Cuilin

Joined May 2016

So many books,📚so little time. 🕰 From Cork, Ireland 🇮🇪 living in New England, USA #BookedInTime #NoPlaceLikeHolmes #WhatTheDickens
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Vilette by Charlotte Bront
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The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
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Les mis?rables by Victor Hugo
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Cuilin
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#BookedInTime #BookedInTimeJuly2025 #BookedInTimeCamelot

So much to choose from: poetry, graphic novels, mythology, retellings, travelogues, seriously the list is endless so it begs the question what will you read?

Amiable I read “The Mists of Avalon” years and years ago in college —I remember liking it a lot. 5d
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LitStephanie How does bookedintime work? Is there a schedule of prompts for the whole year? 5d
Cuilin @LitStephanie hi, I tagged you in another post for the schedule and explanation. Would you like me to add you to the tag list? 5d
Cuilin @Amiable I loved that book and reconciling that with the author‘s abuses is difficult. 😞 5d
ChaoticMissAdventures @Amiable @Cuilin I have had it on my shelf for years and each time I pick it up I just think about how awful she is and can't get myself to read it. 5d
ChaoticMissAdventures I think I am finally going to tackle 5d
rubyslippersreads @ChaoticMissAdventures One of my favorites. 👑 5d
Bookwormjillk I need to find something still. This is not a time I know much about so I don't have any go to titles. 5d
Amiable @ChaoticMissAdventures @Cuilin Monstrous. ☹️ My niece struggles to reconcile her love and absolute devotion to the Harry Potter series against the horribleness that is JK Rowling as well. 😖 5d
Cuilin @Amiable yeah, another tough one. I loved that series too. My daughters were huge fans. Ugh 😩 4d
julieclair I think I‘m going to read 4d
AllDebooks I am going with one of these, still haven't settled on one, as per usual. Tolkein's The Fall of Arthur, The Once and Future King or 4d
Cuilin @julieclair both look great. 👍 4d
Cuilin @AllDebooks I have Le Fay ready to go as I just read Morgan is My Name but I also own 4d
AllDebooks @Cuilin I read Morgannis my name and immediately bought Le Fay. So good! There's so much to choose from this month. 📚📚📚 4d
53 likes19 comments
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Cuilin
Charles Dickens and Friends | Charles Dickens
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#WhatTheDickens

We stayed at The Parker House in Boston this weekend. They have an historical display in their basement. Ho Chi Minh was a pastry chef there from 1911 -1913! Lots of Kennedy connections and Dickens stayed there!!! Such a cool hotel on the Freedom trail and so close to Boston Commons. (This is not a sponsored post lol) @Texreader

Amiable Love that hotel — great location! We stayed there once when my boys were little and heard the stories about the famous guests, including Dickens. Later my youngest son (maybe 6 at the time) told his grandpa that we‘d stayed at a hotel where “you can see the ghost of Dick Cheney!” 😄 5d
Cuilin @Amiable 😂 😂 😂 5d
dabbe @Amiable 🤣🤣🤣 5d
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mrp27 Love this hotel and its history. Glad I had a chance to stay here while in Boston. 5d
Cuilin @mrp27 its my favourite when we pop in to see the Red Sox. 5d
Texreader Oh that‘s crazy!!! Thanks for posting!! 5d
46 likes6 comments
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Cuilin
The Problem of Thor Bridge | Arthur Conan Doyle
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eeclayton Mrs Gibson was a mere cliché in this story. Grace was more 3D, but I didn't understand her reasoning of staying with the family to be a positive influence on Mr Gibson. Was it an excuse that she had invented for herself? 1w
CogsOfEncouragement I feel like women do take it out on the other woman far too often instead of the man who made vows to them, but I would have liked to see this story flip that and have the straying (to whatever degree) husband framed instead. Have the anger pointed to the truest offender. Those poor kids, no matter what. 1w
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dabbe @Cuilin @eeclayton @CogsOfEncouragement Boy, it truly did stink to be a woman in that era! And why did Maria have to be another “creature from the tropics“ (talking to you, Bertha). Does “tropical“ now mean hot-headed, emotional, and out of control? 1w
dabbe @eeclayton Agree 💯. I thought it was weird that Grace stayed, but then we wouldn't have much of a story if she had left, I guess. 1w
dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement I wanted Gibson to get it and get it good! 😂 1w
Cuilin @dabbe Gibson got away with too much IMHO. 6d
Librarybelle Definitely Gibson got away with a lot…another case of a powerful man getting out of a jam with barely a blemish. 6d
Cuilin @Librarybelle while I enjoyed this mystery, Gibson getting away with his predatory behaviour was frustrating. 6d
dabbe @Cuilin “Boy“ did he!!! 🎯🩵🎯 6d
23 likes10 comments
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Cuilin
The Problem of Thor Bridge | Arthur Conan Doyle
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eeclayton I'm not sure I believe that the two chips on the parapet can be indentical, but other than that, I found the plot clever. 1w
CogsOfEncouragement I liked it. I‘ve read another popular mystery that had something similar that was of course written after this, so now I wonder if this one sparked the idea for the other. No spoilers, I won‘t even mention the other famous author. 1w
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dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement Oh shoot, I think I just did in the previous post. 😬 1w
dabbe @Cuilin @eeclayton @CogsOfEncouragement I would think this plot device would be far-fetched if it hadn't actually happened! I enjoyed how Doyle turned it into a love triangle instead of a ploy to collect insurance money for your family. 1w
Cuilin @dabbe yes, I read this was based on a true story. 6d
Librarybelle Definitely a good twist, and I could see this being based on a true story @Cuilin . 6d
18 likes7 comments
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Cuilin
The Problem of Thor Bridge | Arthur Conan Doyle
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eeclayton I enjoyed it. Lately I've ran into quite a few disappointments readingwise, and it was nice to return to ACD be kept interested. 1w
CogsOfEncouragement I liked this one. I just would have changed who got framed lol 1w
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dabbe @Cuilin @eeclayton @CogsOfEncouragement This one had quite an intriguing resolution. It reminded me of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. I also liked that this one had more psychological depth, exploring Gibson‘s troubled marriage and Maria‘s vengeful wrath. 1w
CatLass007 I had a hard time focusing on this one. I may just need a break from SH. I pretty much figured out the who and why but I didn‘t know how SH would come to the same conclusion. 1w
kelli7990 I enjoyed this story. 6d
Cuilin @eeclayton oh my gosh same!!! ACD for the win!!! 6d
Librarybelle I liked this one, and much like @dabbe said, found that it has more psychological depth. It was an ingenious end of story too. I didn‘t think of Christie, but there is a Murder, She Wrote episode that has a similar twist—man frames his enemy by committing suicide with a gun on a rope pulley. 6d
19 likes9 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle I thought it was better fair play wise than others we read, for instance last week‘s story. There are a few threads that I don‘t recall appearing in the story, but I may have missed them. 1mo
eeclayton I definitely consider it fair play. I even picked up on some of the clues, although the one with the window had me baffled, just like Watson, I had no idea that SH saw a mirror image. 1mo
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CogsOfEncouragement I mean, the moment you hear there is a child from the first marriage...am I right? lol 1mo
dabbe @Cuilin @Librarybelle @eeclayton @CogsOfEncouragement ... never trust the child from a 1st marriage! 🤣 I also found it kind of icky that Jack hung over his dad like a toddler would. 4w
29 likes6 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle I did find it interesting that Holmes was the opposite of Conan Doyle. Maybe it has something to do with how tired Conan Doyle was with Holmes that Holmes is the opposite. However, Holmes‘s thoughts on ghosts does fit with his methodical and logical persona. 1mo
eeclayton @Librarybelle I agree. It would have been weird if SH hadn't set out to find a down-to-earth, logical explanation. 1mo
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CogsOfEncouragement After I finished this one last night, I looked up when it was first published. It was January 1924 in The Strand Magazine. I wondered if it was entertainment for October (but I suppose how we treat “spooky season“ is a fairly new phenomenon). As I kept googling I see that Doyle and Stoker were friends.

I wonder how widespread Doyle's beliefs were. Would SH keep bringing in $$$ if the stories took that sort of a turn? The money was the point.
1mo
Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement yes I saw Stoker and Doyle were friends. I know the loss of Doyle‘s first wife deeply affected him, which was the beginning of his interest in spirituality. I think his grief made him long for a life that wasn‘t so painful? Hence Sherlock 🤷‍♀️ 1mo
dabbe @Cuilin @Librarybelle @eeclayton @CogsOfEncouragement In some of my readings, it seems that seances and such were quite the rage in the late 1800s. Doyle's loss of not only his 1st wife but the loss of his son Kingsley and other friends from WWI further enhanced his interest in spirituality later in life. He seems to have been a more rational person earlier when he created Holmes. 4w
23 likes6 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle I enjoyed this one too! I did kind of hope for a true supernatural element, which would have been unique, but it was a super fun story. Maybe I think so because vampire is in the title! 😂 1mo
eeclayton I enjoyed it, too. It had a Jane Eyre-ish vibe in the beginning, and I'm glad the lady didn't end up in the attic or a madhouse 😁 1mo
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CogsOfEncouragement My favorite line from this one was when Watson sees his school mate is not physically what he once had been, and W states is was painful to see. The clever line that made me chuckle:
I fear that I roused corresponding emotions in him.
1mo
kelli7990 I enjoyed it. 1mo
Cuilin @eeclayton yes definitely a gothic vibe right down to young Jack and his poison arrow. 1mo
Cuilin @Librarybelle I was hoping for a bit more Vampiric lore. 1mo
Cuilin @kelli7990 it was a fun one. 1mo
dabbe @Cuilin @Librarybelle @eeclayton @CogsOfEncouragement @kelli7990 Sorry I'm a little late to the party. I enjoyed this one, too--WAY more than the last one, #oy! I found it interesting that the kid's name was Jack. “Jack“ is used is many folk tales (talking to you, Jack & the Bean Stalk) and usually involved a young adult male who is a trickster or rebel of sorts. In this one, he happens to want to kill. 🤷‍♀️ The name definitely fits! 4w
21 likes10 comments
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Cuilin
Little Dorrit | Charles Dickens
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#WhatTheDickens

Ugh, I don‘t care for Mr Flintwinch at all also I‘m highly suspicious of Arthur‘s mother 🤨 I love the little drawings in a Dickens novel, wouldn‘t it be nice if novels had little drawings in them? I guess the costs for an illustrator and printing would be astronomical. @Texreader

TheBookHippie Just pulled my book out! I agree I‘d love illustrations now and again. 1mo
BarbaraJean I would also love little drawings in novels for adults! Maybe that's one reason I love maps in fantasy novels. I feel like black & white line drawings wouldn't add too much to the cost... at least for the printing. There are some great YA/MG books that have little illustrations throughout (tagged is a favorite YA novel with small illustrations), so it seems to me like it would be viable for adult books as well! 1mo
Cuilin @BarbaraJean Agreed. I also like annotated books as they have pictures too. 1mo
47 likes4 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle I think I would wonder what exactly all of the excitement about Holmes was if I had not read anything prior… 1mo
eeclayton @Librarybelle I agree that it's not the best starting point for a new reader. 1mo
dabbe This story is usually close to last or dead last as far as favorite SH stories for readers. To start with this one would have been horrific, especially since the POV was so different; all of the personal touches are absent from this one without our Watson, and he basically acts like a dummy in this one with hardly a role to play at all.

Also, where the hell did Billy the page boy come from? That was another #thingsthatmakeyougohmm
1mo
CogsOfEncouragement Oh, good question. This story does feel like it is meant for someone who has been reading about SH and W for some time. I didn't consider that too much until just now. 1mo
24 likes5 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle The voice, of course, is different, but Holmes has still laid out a complicated trap for the culprits. Not too much of a mystery, but more of a descriptive way that the culprits are brought to justice. 1mo
Cuilin @Librarybelle this story is very much like “The Empty House”. However, because this particular story was written for the Theatre, IMO it feels familiar because we are used to seeing Sherlock as a visual character due to all the movie and TV adaptations. (edited) 1mo
dabbe I have a hard time buying that Holmes was able to move the dummy and sit in its place while the Count and Marton were talking because the dummy was in FULL VIEW the entire time! They would have to have had their backs turned away from the dummy the whole time, and Holmes would have had to have been extremely quiet. Also, IMHO, “The Empty House“ was much better. Why do a repeat from a play that also was a repeat? Was Doyle running out of ideas? 1mo
22 likes4 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle I was thrown by the third person narrative at first. The plot also reminded me a little of another story we read some time ago, where Holmes pretends to be ill but is faking his illness to catch the culprit. Lots of dialogue too, given the third person narrative, but it made the story read rather quickly. Admittedly, I was surprised by Holmes‘s sudden appearance at the end. 1mo
eeclayton This is kind of off topic, but when we started this book, the Mazarin Stone was the first story I read, and I kept looking for the illustrious client in the story. I hadn't realized at first that the order of the stories is completely different in my edition 😂 1mo
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Cuilin @eeclayton this happened to me with “The Cardboard Box”, luckily it was Denise‘s week to post questions. Lol 1mo
Cuilin @Librarybelle it was quite a quick read. It is one of the shortest in the canon. 1mo
kelli7990 This was an interesting story. It was so short. I didn‘t realize it was over until the next story in the audiobook started playing. When I realized the next story started playing, I went back and started this one over again but I skipped to the end so I can find out how it ended. 1mo
dabbe For me, the 3rd-person narration didn't work so well. Who is this person, and how does s/he know so much of the dialogue? Having never had a 3rd-person omniscient POV before, I had to further suspend my disbelief. Also, not knowing that a door led into the curtained area, or that it was a gramophone playing and not Holmes (1st time that was mentioned) did not allow us equal access to the clues to solve the crime. Alas, we were mere readers. (edited) 1mo
22 likes7 comments
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Cuilin
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#ThreeListThursday #TLT @dabbe

There is no in between in this survey, I had either never heard of the book or I had read the book and a lot of the ones I did read I didn‘t like. My collection of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die is very different. It was nice to see E M Forster, Evelyn Waugh, James Joyce, and Virginia Wolfe. Special shout out to The Charwoman‘s Daughter for making the list.

dabbe It seems this 2018 version went WAY out of its way to include a lot more world literature, which is my weak point. 🤣 #TFPAS (Thanks for playing and sharing) 😊 1mo
39 likes1 comment
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Cuilin
Little Dorrit (UK) | Charles Dickens
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#WhatTheDickens #LittleDorrit

June 1st, we will start Little Dorrit. Read at your own pace, tag @Cuilin and @Texreader with any thoughts, quotes, or reviews. All are welcome. This is a first time read for me and I‘m looking forward to it. How about you?

jewright I would like to join, please. 1mo
Cuilin Wonderful, I‘ll add you to the tag list! 1mo
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CogsOfEncouragement My first time reading too. Not a book I‘ve even heard of. I enjoyed Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist, so I‘d like to read more. In order to fit it in with all my other BRs I‘m going to try the audiobook. Thanks for the tag. ✌🏻♥️📚 1mo
Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement I‘m doing a combination of book and audio. Do you have Audible if so, Juliet Stevenson is the narrator for the audible edition and she is fabulous! 1mo
CogsOfEncouragement Yes :) I just downloaded it! I was thinking about picking up the book from the library too. I see it is on the shelf of my local branch. Sometimes that helps with this kind of book - to actually see the names, etc. 1mo
39 likes6 comments
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Cuilin
Bookshelves and Books | Alfred H. Wall
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#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

Well that humbled me!!! I chose some writers I‘d like to read more of.

1 HG Wells
2 Henry James
3 Emile Zola
4 Jules Verne

CogsOfEncouragement I‘ve also read 19 from this round. 2mo
dabbe Boy, there were a ton from Emile Zola on this list! I haven't read any by him! I've been humbled, too. Here's hoping we do better with the 1900s! Thanks for playing and sharing. 💜💚💜 2mo
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Cuilin
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Dear @dabbe

Thank you so so much. How lucky am I to have found you in the nicest place on the internet. Have you read this one? It looks so good. Truly my cup overfloweth!!!

TheBookHippie What a pretty cover! 2mo
dabbe YAY! I have it on my Kindle and dab in and out to read a story here or there. I'm about halfway through. It's huge! 🤣

HB, my dear friend. I'm so lucky, too. 💚
2mo
Cuilin @TheBookHippie yes, a pipe is so nostalgic. 2mo
Cuilin @dabbe 💚🤍🩷 2mo
53 likes4 comments
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Cuilin
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CatLass007 We the reader never find out who the client was but I believe Holmes discovered his identity and chose to respect his privacy, even refusing to discuss it with Watson when Watson discovers the client‘s identity. Holmes disgraces the Baron by publicly revealing his diary which has the added benefit of convincing the young lady to end the engagement. It would be nice if women suddenly became respected and independent but that still hasn‘t happened. 2mo
Librarybelle I did like that there is a mystery about the “client” was never really revealed. 2mo
dabbe As horrific as the vitriol throwing was, it was justly ironic that the baron's pretty face was destroyed since that's how he lured his women to him in the first place.

We also have a women vs. women situation, too. In “Charles Augustus Milverton,“ the woman killer is married to a famous celebrity. Holmes thinks justice has been done and doesn't report her. In this one, though, the downtrodden Kitty will be brought before the courts for her crime.
(edited) 2mo
21 likes4 comments
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Cuilin
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CatLass007 It‘s widely believed that the Baron murdered his wife although he has never been convicted. He is a psychopathic misogynist. When I first read the question I thought there is no way someone like him would have his own podcast. And as I worked through my response I realized that he could accomplish far more than having a podcast, he could become president. 2mo
Librarybelle The Baron is rather slimy and very calculating. Good point about being president, @CatLass007 ! 2mo
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CatLass007 @Librarybelle Thanks. Scary, isn‘t it? 2mo
Cuilin @CatLass007 Yep! 😑 2mo
dabbe @CatLass007 🎯🩵🎯 I mean, you can be a convicted felon many times over and still be president, right? 2mo
dabbe The baron reminds me of Charles Augustus Milverton, as does this story. Whereas Milverton himself didn't have liaisons with women, he blackmailed them after finding out about their liaisons with others. This was his way of making a living. The baron, though, does what he does just because he can and for the perverse pleasure it brings him, making him more evil IMHO. 2mo
CatLass007 @dabbe Right. 2mo
18 likes8 comments
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Cuilin
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CatLass007 I think convincing the young lady not to marry the murderer is no mystery but Holmes enjoys a challenge. He is a puzzle solver. I think he accepts the case to find out who the client is. (edited) 2mo
Librarybelle My thoughts exactly, @CatLass007 ! 2mo
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CatLass007 @Librarybelle Great minds… 2mo
dabbe I think the most mysterious thing about this story involved “The Illustrious Client.“ We never find out who he is! Perhaps he might be King Edward VII due to the emblem on Damery's coach, but we'll never know. 2mo
dabbe I also have to say, poor Watson. Holmes makes him bone-up on Chinese pottery, never telling him the real reason. Watson does his best and crams like he's taking a high-stakes exam only to be told by Holmes that he only had a few minutes to located the lust book because his “time was limited by [Watson's] knowledge of Chinese pottery.“ 2mo
CogsOfEncouragement @dabbe When Watson‘s undercover conversation went so badly so quickly, I immediately thought - Okay, SH knew it would be this way. What is SH doing right now? lol 2mo
dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement You were way ahead of me! I was thinking, “Way to go, Sherlock, putting Watson in such a dangerous position!“ Never thinking anything but that. 🤦🏼‍♀️ 2mo
18 likes8 comments
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Cuilin
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#BookedInTime #BookedInTimeMay2025 #BookedInTimeSpanishCivilWar

There‘s so many I want to read!!! How about you?

Cuilin The two sides of the Spanish Civil War are the left side, known as the Republicans, was formed by the Spanish government together with unions, communists, anarchists, workers, and peasants. On the other side were the Nationalists, the rebel part of the army, the bourgeoisie, the landlords, and, generally, the upper classes. 2mo
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Itchyfeetreader I have downloaded the tagged book so we shall see how I get on 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I HIGHLY recommend this one - it is a bit of a chunkster but I was blown away by it 2mo
Cuilin @Itchyfeetreader I‘m intrigued, looking forward to your thoughts. 2mo
Cuilin @ChaoticMissAdventures Yes, I put it on the list!!! I read so many great reviews. 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures If anyone wants a nonfiction about this time Hemingway and Orwell's books are both great and semi- autobiographical but this one is the best I have read (and I have been obsessed with this time period since I was a teen exchange student in Spain) 2mo
Cuilin @ChaoticMissAdventures I have Orwell‘s on my TBR and I‘ll add this one too. Thanks for the recommendation. 2mo
Cuilin Middle school/ young adult 2mo
AllDebooks I think I'm going with Orwell or 2mo
Bookwormjillk I‘m considering re-reading 2mo
Cuilin @AllDebooks on the TBR!! 2mo
Cuilin @Bookwormjillk hopefully we‘ll have better luck this month 🤞 2mo
dabbe @AllDebooks If anyone likes the Matthew Shardlake series, this book is by the same author! 🤩 2mo
dabbe A reminder to all: here's the link to our spreadsheet. I entered all of the above titles already.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sLpOtIgy6SwJkyU0wwno2MN4YUbe0ldjPwSusW3g...
2mo
Cuilin @dabbe as always, thank you 🙏 2mo
dabbe @Cuilin 😍😍😍 2mo
Karisimo The Time In Between is an all time fav!! I‘m tempted to read the tagged now that I‘m familiar with Samson thru the #shardlakebr And you can‘t go wrong with Septys! (edited) 2mo
AllDebooks @dabbe Thank you 😊 I still haven't gotten around to the Shardlake series, but it's on my tbr. 2mo
julieclair I‘ll be reading 2mo
julieclair Here is the link to our companion challenge on StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/2cdac7b0-0085-4e6b-b601-f63cbd6... 2mo
Cuilin So many good choices for this prompt. I‘d like to read The Return though I‘m still not sure what I‘ll read yet. Also thank you for the link. 2mo
Amiable @Karisimo Thanks for that Samson title! I might give that one a go. 2mo
Amiable @ChaoticMissAdventures Thank you for a nonfiction title! I‘ve put it on my list. 2mo
Jess861 Going to grab this book from the library for this prompt. 2mo
Cuilin @sblbooks Allende is such a great writer. Enjoy. 😊 2mo
49 likes29 comments
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Cuilin
HEART, BE AT PEACE. | DONAL. RYAN
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#CampLitsy25

@squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

My nominations for camp Litsy. There were so many to choose from!!

Suet624 These look great!!! 3mo
squirrelbrain Great choices! ❤️ 3mo
Amiable I‘m reading “Dream Count” right now —love Adichie! 3mo
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Cuilin @Amiable I love Adichie too. 3mo
BarbaraBB A new Ryan, I had no idea! And Allende, wow!
3mo
Deblovestoread Great choices! 3mo
Megabooks That Deviants cover is drawing me in. Love some good queer lit! 3mo
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Cuilin
The Adventure of the Devil's Foot | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Librarybelle I almost rolled my eyes, since we‘ve seen this time and again in the stories, in which Holmes decides what is just and who should be punished. The justice system is there to parse judgment on guilt or innocence (at least, up until recently when the justice system is being attacked on a broader scale, but I digress…). Holmes and Watson should not be judge and jury. And yet, they were. 3mo
dabbe I guess Holmes thought justice was done: the “eye for an eye“ idea. Dr. Sterndale killed the murderer of his love, so hey, it's all okay! As long as he goes to Africa, I guess. Big 🙄 on this one. I did the eye-rolling for you, @Librarybelle! 🤣 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement @Librarybelle @eeclayton @dabbe I also thought this was especially flimsy “justice”. 3mo
25 likes5 comments
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Cuilin
The Adventure of the Devil's Foot | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Librarybelle He seems to have more respect for Watson. There is the moment when Watson saves his life, and Holmes shows a rare bit of emotion and almost a human reaction to Watson and to the situation. 3mo
eeclayton @Librarybelle “almost a human reaction“ 😂 I agree.
But he does drag Watson into this crazy experiment while being suspicious that the substance has already killed two people. That's not the kind of thing you'd expose your friend to.
3mo
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dabbe @eeclayton @Librarybelle
I think once Sherlock gets his nose involved in a case, he's basically ignorant to all other things--like life itself. I'm glad he shows a wee remorse and gratefulness to Watson.
3mo
dabbe This quote truly summed up for me the overall bromance love between these two: “ 'You know,' I answered with some emotion, for I had never seen so much of Holmes‘s heart before, 'that it is my greatest joy and privilege to help you.' “ 😭 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement @dabbe That same bromance passage really struck me too. 3mo
21 likes7 comments
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Cuilin
The Adventure of the Devil's Foot | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Librarybelle I liked this one, because it was creepy. I read this late last night and almost chided myself for doing so…I wanted what little sleep I get anymore! But, I liked the thriller elements of death by fright, a possible person at the window, but really no visible signs of anyone. 3mo
eeclayton I liked it, too. I enjoyed the Cornwall setting. 3mo
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Cuilin @Librarybelle @eeclayton I loved the Cornwall setting too. Not too fond of the creepiness as I am easily spooked. 3mo
dabbe @Librarybelle @eeclayton @Cuilin ... agree with all! A delightfully creepy tale with the moody moors for atmosphere as well. 3mo
kelli7990 I liked this story. 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement @Librarybelle @dabbe I was surprised how creeped out I got by this one. I had to remind myself I was just reading SH. 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement I liked this one. I drew the wrong conclusion, I had figured that Dr. Sterndale had killed them the first night and when he heard one of the family survived he hastened back to finish what he started. I suppose I was tricked by Mortimer‘s lie that someone was in the bushes. 3mo
Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement I didn‘t even try to figure this one. I thought it convoluted but that could have been a me issue. 3mo
20 likes9 comments
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Cuilin
Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies | Marjorie Ingall, Susan McCarthy
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Dear Littens,

#BookedInTime and #WhatTheDickens I am struggling to catch up due to some new meds. I had hoped to post questions for both groups this weekend and I think I may have to switch to next weekend as I adjust to the medication. Apologies.

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Bookwormjillk Take your time and I hope you feel better soon! 3mo
TheBookHippie Hope you adjust soon. Sending love. 3mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I hope you feel better soon!! I got very distracted by the Women's Prize and everything else went out the window. 3mo
AnneCecilie Take your time. 3mo
dabbe You take care of you; the rest can wait. Hope you feel better soon! 🩵💙🩵 3mo
Suet624 Best wishes to you. 💕 3mo
JenlovesJT47 Feel better! ❤️‍🩹 3mo
Deblovestoread Hope you feel better soon. I feel,like I got a reprieve…maybe I will finish in time after all. 😘 3mo
rwmg Get well soon. Can I ask what period Booked In Time is reading for April? 3mo
Cuilin @rwmg Thank you, April is China, Post 1912 (edited) 3mo
Cuilin @Bookwormjillk @TheBookHippie @ChaoticMissAdventures @AnneCecilie @dabbe @Suet624 @JenlovesJT47 @Deblovestoread Thank you, it‘s a case of the remedy is worse than the disease, it should take 3 weeks to adjust. I‘m on day 12 of slowly uncurling myself from the fetal position. 🩷 3mo
rwmg @Cuilin: One of the books I'm hoping to read this month is a series of essays about Western authors who set their works in Asia, including China. 3mo
Cuilin @rwmg That actually sounds amazing. 🤞 I plan on reading 3mo
TheBookHippie @Cuilin oh man. Sending so much light to you. 3mo
dabbe @Cuilin Good grief, Charlie Brown! Sending 🩵💙🩵. 3mo
kspenmoll Sending you love- 💕 please, no apologies & give yourself the time you need! 3mo
47 likes19 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle We‘ve talked about Holmes‘ growth as a human throughout the canon. I think this shows that under all of the frustrations and somewhat harsh criticisms of Watson, Holmes really cares for him and recognizes him as a friend. 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement Oof. I understood at this point SH was faking illness and my heart still hurt for W hearing SH say: only a general practitioner w/very limited experience and mediocre qualifications. W was humble enough to move forward in getting help rather than concern himself with ego. It was a balm to read SH tell W he could only fool him at four yards, etc. and that W is only a bad liar, not a bad doctor. 3mo
dabbe I guess what Holmes did to Watson in “The Final Problem“ (letting Watson think he was dead for three years) was much worse than what he did to him (and Mrs. Hudson) here. He took a big chance with both of them in the hopes that Smith would confess to the crime of killing his nephew. But that's the magic of these stories. By now we know SH's relationships with both Watson and Mrs. H are solid, and they actually help him nab the villain. 3mo
34 likes4 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle You have to suspect that Holmes is up to something, though as a reader, we‘re not quite sure what it is. I would say he fools Watson, but sometimes Watson isn‘t the keenest observer. As for Mrs. Hudson and Holmes‘ views on women, Watson lays them out at the start. Mrs. Hudson acts like a mother to Holmes; she‘s a nurturer. 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement Two times SH shows too much energy for a dying man, and if Watson wasn‘t so very worried for his friend he would have seen through the nonsense. I can‘t fault Watson for caring too much. Plus, I enjoy when Doyle gives us clues in this way. Very entertaining. 3mo
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CogsOfEncouragement Hudson and SH have a relationship established by him getting her out of a bad marriage, yeah? I‘ve always felt they have a history that allows SH much leeway in the annoyances Mrs. Hudson puts up with because it is SH. I don‘t think she would put up with such things from someone else. We have those relationships in real life I think. We give certain loved ones a pass here or there in their habits because we know they absolutely have our back. 3mo
Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement I love this interpretation of Mrs. Hudson. I agree. I think she understands Sherlock and therefore makes accommodations. 3mo
Cuilin @Librarybelle As the reader I wanted to tell Watson “you know he‘s faking it right?” But I‘m aware that would not have been helpful to the plot. 3mo
dabbe My views on Mrs. Hudson might be warped due to the Cumberbatch SHERLOCK episodes. In those, she is one sassy lassie who adores Sherlock but doesn't take his BS without shelving out some of her own. I now see her in this way in the original canon, too, and I love their symbiotic relationship. 3mo
25 likes8 comments
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Cuilin
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Librarybelle I liked this one, and maybe I was in the mood for a story that features Holmes using deception to catch the culprit. Once again, we the reader do not know much of the backstory until near the end of the tale, so we‘re kind of left feeling a bit surprised—why does Holmes want to entrap the culprit. But, we‘re also finding out the clues as Watson does, so since he tells the story, I suppose that makes sense! 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement Another one where Doyle especially allows us to feel smarter than Watson. “In an instant, with a tigerspring, the dying man had intercepted me.” This sentence told me SH was faking an illness for some reason, and the trap for Culverton Smith soon became apparent. Nice touch to have Smith and Inspector Morton trying to hide smiles from Watson for very different reasons. An entertaining telling. 3mo
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Cuilin @Librarybelle I liked this one too, brevity being the soul of wit. 3mo
Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement Very entertaining. 3mo
dabbe Now that we've read over 40 (gasp!) of these and Doyle was riding the SH gravy train by now, it'd be so easy to be totally formulaic--which many detective stories can be. Here, he totally breaks the mold. No start in front of the fire at 221-B; we have Mrs. Hudson thinking Sherlock's dying! Wonder if people back then were feeling “The Final Problem“ vibes when they first read this one! Well done, Doyle. 3mo
Read4life I enjoyed this one & liked how it opened with Mrs. Hudson. Well done, ACD! 3mo
Cuilin @Read4life yes this one was good. 3mo
Cuilin @dabbe I wondered that too, I bet it worried his loyal readers. 3mo
kelli7990 I enjoyed this story. 3mo
27 likes10 comments
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Cuilin
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I‘m just gonna leave this right here. It is of course from Les Miserable by Victor Hugo!!!

@TheBookHippie

https://youtu.be/nDZGL1xsqzs?si=z1MfbXfSJbWH6Q0t

⬆️ Link for the best Waterloo explanation I can find @tpixie

TheBookHippie ♥️ 4mo
TheBookHippie Thanks for the link! 4mo
Deblovestoread Thanks for this. I love having a visual to round out my reading. 4mo
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tpixie @Cuilin Great quote! Yay for the link! Thanks! We‘ve got snow ❄️ coming in today for SPRING BREAK, so work is really quiet. I‘ll get to watch it! 🥳🥳🥳 🇫🇷💙🤍❤️ 🇫🇷 4mo
tpixie @Cuilin the video was great and helpful! Thanks! @dabbe this video may help you with the Battle of Waterloo! 3mo
dabbe @Cuilin @TheBookHippie @tpixie Why is it I'm thinking of someone else who THINKS he's a Titan and is also fatal to civilization? 🤔😡👊🏻

If I got through the war scenes in WAR AND PEACE, I can get through this, right?
Thanks for the link!
3mo
TheBookHippie @dabbe YOU CAN DO IT!!!! 3mo
tpixie @dabbe oh my! War and Peace! Waterloo sounds much easier!! Keep it up!!! 3mo
dabbe @TheBookHippie 🤩❣️🤩 3mo
dabbe @tpixie 🤩❣️🤩 3mo
TheBookHippie @dabbe I mean the Bros was 😵‍💫 and we made it through that ! 😂 3mo
Cuilin @TheBookHippie @dabbe @tpixie with a little speed reading, we can do it 💪 3mo
Cuilin @dabbe you get it!!! 3mo
dabbe @Cuilin Excellent idea! Maybe I'll just skim through Waterloo. 🤣 3mo
dabbe @Cuilin 🤣🤩🤗 3mo
tpixie @dabbe 🩷🩷🩷😅 3mo
36 likes18 comments
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Cuilin
The Star Of The Sea | Joseph O'Connor
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Texreader I finished it yesterday. Oops. 😅 4mo
Cuilin @Texreader without “spoilers” did you enjoy it? 4mo
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Vansa I'm not doing this read-along, but I have read this book, and I found it devastating. I loved how the writer balances personal experience along showing you the wider socio-economic reasons for the Famine in Ireland. 4mo
Cuilin @Vansa perfect description. 4mo
kspenmoll I could not put this book down. So i kept on reading… felt so up close & personal. One of my great greats on my dad side cane over as a 12 year old during that time. There used to be an exhibit at Quinnipiac College in CT on the famine but it lost his home there & has not landed anywhere else. My son saw the exhibit-I did not unfortunately. 4mo
Cuilin @kspenmoll oh my gosh, I think of that 12-year-old as a boy making the voyage and then having to sit on a ship because of quarantine rules to then finally make it and now you‘re here able to tell the tale. Amazing! Do you know where in Ireland? 4mo
kspenmoll @Cuilin Dunquin,County Kerry. My dad‘s mom side, O‘Dalaigh, eventually becoming Daly here. Two sibs survived & died in 1870 in Dunquin, 3 are not accounted for so presumed died during famine. 4mo
kspenmoll Some of my other relatives came over through Montreal- in early 1870. I don‘t know when they arrived in Canada, whether it was during the famine or not. My Abbott grandfather was born in Newfoundland, & my brother found family graves from mid 1800s. (edited) 4mo
AnneCecilie I like it and I‘m keeping to the schedule, but sometimes the way it‘s told takes me out of the story. And I haven‘t quite figured out the point of the extracts from the letters throughout (edited) 4mo
Cuilin @kspenmoll so beautiful you have so much of your history. Dún Chaoin, is in the Gaeltacht (Irish Speaking area) in Ireland. There a a few different Irish language dialects in Ireland this is the one I learned. It‘s a beautiful place. 4mo
Cuilin @AnneCecilie Yes, there‘s definitely more to just storytelling in this one. 4mo
Suet624 This book is really something. A great book to read during March. Such a brutal history lesson though. 4mo
Cuilin @Suet624 Agreed. Brutal is the perfect word. 4mo
Bookwormjillk I finally caught up. It‘s still not coming together for me, but I‘m sure it will in the end. 4mo
38 likes15 comments
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Cuilin
The Adventure of the Red Circle | Arthur Conan Doyle
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Librarybelle Good question! In some ways, this ended abruptly in that we do not see Gennaro reuniting with his wife. We can assume that Gennaro has taken care of the villain before Sherlock (or even Gregson) are on the spot. You could say Sherlock is there to put everything together for the reader since so much took place off the page. 4mo
dabbe It would have been nice if Gennaro were present in the story for even one moment. All we have is his wife's hearsay. How involved was he really in this Red Circle? How do we truly know how innocent he is? This is one where I wish I had MORE to go on, not less. 4mo
CogsOfEncouragement Ahhh, interesting for thought. I think SH is there this time to get to the truth of it all. Nothing is changed, or stopped, or fixed. The fullness of the facts are brought clearly to the police. They probably would not have been if SH was not there. I felt his intervention at the window to send the message was needed to bring the truth out. I don't think of SH as a hero in this case. 4mo
25 likes4 comments
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Cuilin
The Adventure of the Red Circle | Arthur Conan Doyle
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#NoPlaceLikeHolmes

I enjoyed further insight into how Sherlock is perceived. The flippant remark about going to the Opera and it being Wagner absolutely tracks!!! I really enjoy opera and have a book on my TBR called Wagner Without Fear to give a little insight also the Ring Cycle takes 15 hours!!!!! No easy Madama Butterfly for Sherlock.

Librarybelle I like that we seem to see a bit more about Sherlock—he‘s not all case after case with no emotion. I think his character has grown throughout the stories, and he has become a bit more human. A very flawed human, but we are at least seeing a bit into him. 4mo
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Cuilin @Librarybelle Yes this more human side of him is not depicted in retellings, I think. 4mo
dabbe I still couldn't get over his stupid scrapbook. He irritated me in this one for some reason. 4mo
CogsOfEncouragement @dabbe I was confused by his scrapbook too, then I was so amused by the “accessible upon the side of flattery...“ that I felt it was just a set up for this line. HAHA Watson roasts him good but quickly adds “...to do him justice, upon the side of kindliness.“ Which I do think both sides of SH are shown through the series. It's funny because it's true and all that. 4mo
CogsOfEncouragement @Librarybelle Is “Education never ends, Watson....“ maybe a sort of apology to readers like you that would have wanted more danger/excitement for SH and W? 4mo
Librarybelle @CogsOfEncouragement Maybe??? But, I also think it‘s true that everyday sets up opportunities for education, to learn something new. 4mo
CogsOfEncouragement @Librarybelle - Maybe more of an encouragement to readers to be life long learners? I like that. 4mo
Librarybelle @CogsOfEncouragement Yes…I like that too! 4mo
dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement You're so right! In a way, Holmes is a definitive narcissist. Flattery gets you everywhere with good ol' Sherlock! 🤣 4mo
23 likes11 comments
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Cuilin
The Adventure of the Red Circle | Arthur Conan Doyle
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#NoPlaceLikeHolmes

I don‘t think I‘d consider this a favorite. Thoughts?

eeclayton I'm way behind, haven't read anything from His Last Bow yet. I'm expecting a somewhat less busy period, so hopefully I'll catch up soon! 4mo
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Cuilin @eeclayton no worries, take your time, the questions will always be on my page or Denise‘s @dabbe 4mo
Librarybelle I don‘t think I‘d consider it a favorite, but it‘s also not my least favorite. Despite the discussed elements of danger, it‘s not very daring. However, it does use a lot of logic and deciphering, so maybe this is more a puzzle than a dangerous escapade. Perhaps I like the elements of danger in these! 😂 4mo
Cuilin @Librarybelle I love a puzzle and a cipher cause they scratch an itch in my brain. Though this one fell flat for me, but I haven‘t been well so it could be a me issue. 4mo
Read4life This one was just ok for me. I like the puzzle elements, too but this one just didn‘t pop for me. 4mo
Cuilin @Read4life no pop, it lacked a little je-ne-sais-quoi. 4mo
dabbe I was amazingly annoyed by Holmes at the opening of this one. Too busy for this case? Your SCRAPBOOKING is more important? WTH?
“...nor do I understand why I, whose time is of some value, should interfere in the matter. I really have other things to engage me.“ So spoke Sherlock Holmes and turned back to the great scrapbook in which he was arranging and indexing some of his recent material.“

I was angry at him throughout this one. 😡
4mo
CogsOfEncouragement @eeclayton If you will pardon my offering of unsolicited advice - When you have time to read a short story from His Last Bow, read the one we are on so you can enjoy discussing it with us since the order doesn't matter. Even though you can tag us, it is easier to talk about these when the details are fresh in our mind. I just don't want you to miss out on the fun/community/connection of the BR. 4mo
Cuilin @dabbe it‘s like he‘s entered his dotage!! Snap out of it Sherlock!! 4mo
Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement that‘s so sweet. Yes the order doesn‘t really matter. 🩷 4mo
CogsOfEncouragement I enjoyed this one. I thought right away that the person was not who the landlady rented to, but someone being hidden. The small appetite had me thinking it was a woman even before SH drew that conclusion from the cigarette.

I was VERY amused by the quote you point to in question 2 about SH being “accessible upon the side of flattery.“ Hilarious how Watson allows us to observe SH go from uninterested to fully willing to help this landlady.
4mo
dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement Like @Cuilin also said, order doesn't really matter. Each story stands alone. Fabulous advice and a reminder to me for my other buddy reads, too. 💙🩵💙 4mo
dabbe @Cuilin 🤣 4mo
kelli7990 I enjoyed this one. 4mo
Sace Do you mind taking me off the tag list? Thanks! 4mo
Cuilin @Sace of course, no worries. 4mo
eeclayton @CogsOfEncouragement thanks, that's great advice 💕 4mo
24 likes19 comments
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Cuilin
Star of the Sea | Joseph O'Connor
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AllDebooks Joseph O'Connor is one of my favourite male authors. I'm looking forward to revisiting this 😊 4mo
Cuilin @AllDebooks same 🥰 4mo
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Itchyfeetreader Oh I hadn‘t picked something out for this month so considering - unless I have something on my shelf that works as I am diligently trying to clear the bought but not read trolley! 4mo
Bookwormjillk Just picked this up from the library! 4mo
Cuilin @Itchyfeetreader I completely understand, trying to read through the TBR! Though perhaps maybe your local Library may have it 🤞 4mo
Cuilin @Bookwormjillk fabulous! 4mo
rwmg I'm probably going to sit this one out, sorry. I just find these readalongs don't work for me. But I am curious. Doesn't this book have chapters 16 and 17? 4mo
Cuilin @rwmg no worries!! Another typo. 🤦‍♀️ (edited) 4mo
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Cuilin
Star of the Sea | Joseph O'Connor
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#BookedInTime So many stickies and that‘s just the prologue!!
#FirstLineFriday @ShyBookOwl

“All night long he would walk the ship, from bow to stern, from dusk until quarterlight, that stick like limping man from Connemara with the drooping shoulders and ash-coloured clothes”.

49 likes3 comments
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Cuilin
Adventure of Wisteria Lodge | Arthur Conan Doyle
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CatLass007 I was surprised. Maybe this is Conan Doyle, passing the torch from himself to other mystery writers, not so much from Holmes to Baynes. Just a wild thought. 4mo
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Librarybelle It is a bit surprising, and I think Holmes himself is a bit surprised that he met an inspector “who will go far.” Honestly, it made a nice change that someone could keep up with Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps a show that there will be others as brilliant as Holmes to carry on crime solving when Holmes no longer works cases? 4mo
CogsOfEncouragement I thought this was a fun detail. I know I kept wondering if he was actually going to blunder something. It was an added twist to keep this short story from being too similar to others. Especially having SH in the shrubs and Baynes up higher in a tree observing SH undetected, that was very different. Holmes being a good sport about it was also a nice touch. 4mo
dabbe @CatLass007 Agree 💯. 4mo
dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement It was nice to see Holmes's arrogance in check in this one; he heartily congratulated Baynes and welcomed him to the detective fold. 4mo
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Cuilin
Adventure of Wisteria Lodge | Arthur Conan Doyle
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CatLass007 I suppose it was a social norm. That doesn‘t make it right, especially in these times when casual racism is accepted and virulent racism is coming out of the woodwork. We need to be able to point to this and say, “This is unacceptable in the here and now.” Was Conan Doyle ever married? Because Holmes comes off as misogynistic and I wonder why. 4mo
Cuilin @CatLass007 Yes, he was married. His first wife died of TB and he married his second wife a year later. 4mo
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CatLass007 Hmmm. 4mo
Librarybelle I‘d say social norms. As much as I love classics, it‘s important to acknowledge that the works may contain language and societal attitudes deemed today (or that should be deemed today) as highly inappropriate and incorrect. 4mo
CogsOfEncouragement SH states at one point that Scott Eccles was chosen to be the guest the night of these events because he was the type of person the police would absolutely believe. He was there for a perfect alibi - the whole thing about 1am. I feel this highlights the issues of the time. SH discusses how it was so true, Eccles tells a wild story and is believed immediately. Eccles was reaping benefits of this privilege and Doyle pointed it out more than once. 4mo
Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement yes!!! he didn‘t just highlight the prejudice he acknowledged privilege!!! 4mo
dabbe @Cuilin @CogsOfEncouragement And the on-the-scene detectives didn't question him further; they just believe him because of who he was. 🤔 Wonder if that type of pandering still occurs today. 🙄 4mo
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Cuilin
Adventure of Wisteria Lodge | Arthur Conan Doyle
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Librarybelle Overall, I liked this one. I‘d like to know the significance of that gruesome bird, unless I missed Holmes explaining it in the narrative. 4mo
CogsOfEncouragement I enjoyed this one. I read this collection about twelve years ago. I didn't remember this one at all and had all sorts of incorrect guesses.

@Librarybelle At the very end, Holmes explains he spent time reading up at the British Museum. SH went on to explain it was a voodoo ritual, and “a true voodoo-worshiper attempts nothing of importance without certain sacrifices...“
4mo
Librarybelle Thanks, @CogsOfEncouragement ! I thought he meant the other figure that was found, so I missed the connection! 4mo
dabbe This one was not one of my faves. The resolution part seemed beyond-over-the-top and too quickly explained. 4mo
23 likes5 comments
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Cuilin
All Day at the Movies | Fiona Kidman
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#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

51!!! I surprised myself. I‘m not usually a rewatcher of movies but these I‘ve seen multiple times as they‘re so good. I recently rewatched Casablanca, just for the “La Marseillaise” scene 🎬

Susanita 🎶🇫🇷 4mo
40 likes1 comment
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Cuilin
Star of the Sea | Joseph O'Connor
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#BookedInTime #BookedInTimeMarch25

Murder mystery on a tall ship!! Tagging all members and those who expressed interest. All are welcome. We start Saturday March 1st. I broke it into four parts. I will check in on Saturdays. Let me know if you have any questions.

50 likes11 comments
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Cuilin
Untitled | Untitled
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#literallyMyCharacter @TheBookHippie

This was fun and weirdly accurate. Saoirse is the one I relate to most. Disheveled and disappointed with people.

TheBookHippie 🙃 it was fun! 5mo
dabbe 🩶💚🩶 5mo
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Cuilin
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#WhatTheDickens

Spite, the word even sounds malicious.

Texreader Uttered by Miss Spears? Definitely malicious… 5mo
Daisey Great quote! 5mo
55 likes2 comments
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Cuilin
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Texreader Chuzzlewit is longer than Nickleby. I think we still need some tweaking. 5mo
Cuilin @Texreader oh no!!! Ok I‘m on it!! 5mo
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Cuilin @Texreader Thoughts? I gave Chuzzlewit two months. 5mo
Lcsmcat I‘m ok with taking 2 months, or longer. Whatever the group wants to do. That‘s the ne T one I‘ll be reading along with the group because I‘ve read Dorrit and Nickleby recently. 5mo
Texreader Yay! I like it 5mo
Cuilin @Lcsmcat @Texreader Everyone of course can read at their own pace and join discussions if and when they want. 5mo
CatLass007 I‘m enjoying Nicholas Nickleby. I wasn‘t sure what to expect but I‘ve been pleasantly surprised 5mo
Texreader @CatLass007 I feel same way about Nickleby! I was thinking I‘d have to bail because of the treatment of the boys—it was just so much after Copperfield. But Nickleby is definitely a different character from David. I like how we can compare and contrast characters over multiple reads 5mo
Texreader @Cuilin @Lcsmcat Ditto! This is a no stress read!! 🤗 5mo
Cuilin @Texreader @CatLass007 I went into NN completely blind. I‘m still in the abusive school part and I‘m disgusted. Yet I feel hopeful. 5mo
BarbaraJean This looks great! I haven‘t started Nickleby yet 🤦🏻‍♀️ I was waiting to finish Lark Rise, which I have now done, so I‘ll be diving in this week! 5mo
Cuilin @BarbaraJean I liked Lark Rise but I‘m also glad it‘s done. 5mo
CatLass007 @Cuilin @Texreader The abusive school part is disgusting but I feel hopeful too. 5mo
dabbe I had NN planned out until the end of May at 7 pages per day, so I'm gonna have to up my reading game! 😂 I'm also at the school part, and the abuse is 🤯!!! I'm enjoying the book, though. 🤩 5mo
42 likes16 comments
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Cuilin
The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath
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The gratuitous cover reveal. This one is from the ‘70‘s, like myself.

#HashTagBrigade @BarkingMadRead

BarkingMadRead Looooove 5mo
TheBookHippie OMG 😍😍😍😍😍 5mo
mcipher This is my favorite cover for this book! 5mo
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TiredLibrarian I had this one! 5mo
Ruthiella Love this cover! 😍 5mo
Texreader Love your post. I‘m technically 1960s because 1968 but since I don‘t remember that I guess I‘m the 70s too. 5mo
dabbe @Texreader 1965 here (the first year of Gen X), but yeah ... 70s with the memory. 😂 5mo
Bookwormjillk Pretty sure this is the same cover I had in my teens. This time around it‘s the kindle version so I can adjust the font. 👵 5mo
Cuilin @Bookwormjillk Smart. The print is small. 5mo
quietjenn Definitely the edition that I first read (and probably still have somewhere). 5mo
tpixie That‘s the cover I think of when I hear about this book. 📕 5mo
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Cuilin
The Star Of The Sea | Joseph O'Connor
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Tagging #BookedInTime and some others but open to all.

⚠️ This book is dark and detailed as it describes a voyage on a coffin ship during “An Gorta Mór”, the Irish Famine. There are mysteries and many moral conflicts. Who‘s in?

Suet624 Wow. Thanks so much for tagging me. I‘m definitely in. 5mo
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Cuilin @Suet624 yay!! I thought you might like this. Feel free to tag others you think might also. 5mo
Texreader Also works for #Ireland #foodandlit in March! @Catsandbooks (edited) 5mo
Cuilin @Texreader oh nice. There‘s a reason you may like this book but I‘m saying no more. 🤫 5mo
Bookwormjillk Have you ever listened to the audiobook? 5mo
Cuilin @Bookwormjillk No I am curious about it though. 5mo
ChaoticMissAdventures This sounds so interesting! I don't think I can fit it in this month but I am stacking it and excited to see what everyone thinks! 5mo
Cuilin @ChaoticMissAdventures I understand, we won‘t start till March 1st. 5mo
AllDebooks Absolutely, I loved this book. Time for a reread, methinks. There's also a sequel 5mo
Cuilin @AllDebooks Yes!!! Glad you‘re in. The sequel was also pretty dark too. 5mo
Deblovestoread I‘m in. 🙋🏻‍♀️ 5mo
rubyslippersreads This sounds interesting. I might give it a try. 5mo
Cuilin @rubyslippersreads wonderful. 5mo
dabbe I'll take a look and see what March is like; this sounds interesting! And it's on the spreadsheet! 🤩 5mo
Cuilin @dabbe at its core it‘s a murder mystery, I think you‘ll like it. 5mo
Amiable Looks interesting! I‘ll see if I can get it. 5mo
Cuilin @Amiable yay, hope you can. 5mo
AnneCecilie I might join in 5mo
Cuilin @AnneCecilie wonderful, I think libraries will have a few copies. 🤞 5mo
Cuilin @Deblovestoread fabulous!! 5mo
AnneCecilie I have ordered it in from the library and expect it to arrive soon, I‘m just hoping I have time for it 5mo
Cuilin We won‘t start till March 1st as it‘s for March‘s prompt but do whatever fits your schedule. 5mo
julieclair I'm definitely in! 5mo
Cuilin @julieclair yay!!! Wonderful. 5mo
JenlovesJT47 I‘d like to join! 🙋🏻‍♀️ 5mo
Cuilin @JenlovesJT47 fabulous!!! 5mo
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Cuilin
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tpixie Profound quote!! It struck me also. I‘m behind on reading, but I‘ll eventually catch up. I had to go up to Kansas City to help my sister with her 2nd cataract surgery & her eye bothered her too much to read this time so I didn‘t get much reading done. Now I‘ve got to drive down to Dodge City because my daughter‘s getting induced with her fifth child & I‘ll be taking care of the other kids this next week. 🦋 🙏🏻For safe delivery 🙏🏻 5mo
TheBookHippie @tpixie sending love & light!!!! 5mo
TheBookHippie This quote. Just so relevant. Truth. 5mo
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Cuilin @tpixie I‘ll be thinking of you both. Sending lots of 💗 and 💡 5mo
Cuilin @TheBookHippie 🕯️ 🔥 (edited) 5mo
tpixie @TheBookHippie @Cuilin Thanks for the good vibes 🩵 5mo
kspenmoll @tpixie Sending love & hopes for a speedy recovery for your sister- & for you, grandma!💕 5mo
kspenmoll Just a perfect quote…. 5mo
dabbe @tpixie Safe travels, m'dear! Hope your sister heals well and that your daughter's delivery goes smoothly. You are a superb caretaker! 🩶🩷🩶 5mo
dabbe Perfect quote. We just have to keep supplying the lightbulbs for their horrific shattering of glass to try and keep us in the dark. ❣️👊🏻❣️ 5mo
Cuilin @kspenmoll 💡 💡💡 5mo
Cuilin @dabbe 💡💡💡 5mo
tpixie @dabbe 🩵 💡 🩵 5mo
DrSabrinaMoldenReads @tpixie God Bless! I have 5 grandchildren. You will have caught up with me. 5mo
tpixie @DrSabrinaMoldenReads 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵 5mo
tpixie @kspenmoll @dabbe Thanks!! 😊😊😊 5mo
tpixie @DrSabrinaMoldenReads grandkids are so much fun! 🤩 5mo
julieclair Such a profound, and sadly relevant, quote. 💡 5mo
julieclair @tpixie 🙏🙏 for your daughter‘s delivery, and for your sister‘s healing. And hugs and high fives to you in your role as loving caregiver and grandma. 💙 5mo
tpixie @julieclair thanks! My sister is doing great. She got temporary glasses - plain on top with readers. Now she can see much better than with her old prescription and won‘t take her glasses off anymore and that will help continue to protect the eyes until she can get a new prescription in four weeks. Getting ready this morning to head out to Dodge City to take care of daughter & her kids & welcome the new grandbaby! 5mo
julieclair @tpixie Great news about your sister. 💙 And wishing you much happiness (and energy!) as you spend time with your daughter's family this week! Enjoy! 5mo
tpixie @julieclair thanks! I do need some extra energy!! 😀😆😅😂🤣 5mo
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Cuilin
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DrSabrinaMoldenReads My translation is very different. 5mo
Cuilin @DrSabrinaMoldenReads I was just sad for Fantine. The way the boys ‘surprise‘ abandoned the girls was appalling. 5mo
dabbe And Tholomyes is described as “badly preserved ... wrinkled, toothless ... beginning to show signs of baldness,“ and in which he claims about himself, “Cock-of-the-walk at thirty, coot at forty.“ #wth? 5mo
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Cuilin @dabbe yes!! Hugo tells us “20 years later he was a fat, provincial attorney, rich and influential”, but “always a man of pleasure” For all his philosophical talk he knew he was going to abandon her!! 5mo
dabbe @Cuilin And it looks like the other girls totally got the joke and moved on, but of course the innocent Fantine, who gave herself for the man she truly believed she loved, is the only one to get pregnant. Truly #lesmis. 5mo
DrSabrinaMoldenReads @Cuilin It gets a lot worse. That was a light event 5mo
DrSabrinaMoldenReads @Cuilin I was truly into my feelings by the end of that section 5mo
Cuilin @DrSabrinaMoldenReads You‘re right, I‘m bracing myself. It‘s so different reading it than seeing it in a theater or on screen. For some reason, I thought Fantine would get more of a love story before the abandonment and single motherhood and having to leave Cosette. I‘ll have to steel myself. 5mo
DrSabrinaMoldenReads @Cuilin Certainly no love story 🥺 5mo
tpixie @Cuilin the abandonment was atrocious!! 4mo
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Cuilin
The Valley of Fear | Arthur Conan Doyle
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Librarybelle I hope we learn more about the tattoo and its meaning and perhaps the connection to Moriarty! I suspected the priest hole was important when Holmes brought up “old house secrets” to the inspector. I was right! 😂 5mo
Cuilin @Librarybelle absolutely if you‘re going to mention a priest hole it better be used in the plot in someway. I also think we‘re going back in time. There are some unanswered questions. 5mo
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CatLass007 I missed the mention of the priest hole, but wasn‘t surprised when it appeared. As much as I enjoy Stephen Fry‘s narration and background information, I think he did spoil the time of the second part. 5mo
dabbe I had to read on because I really wanted to find out more about the relationship between Mrs. Douglas and Barker and what led to such a horrific murder. All I can say is, you'll see! 🤩 5mo
Daisey I thought the whole setup and setting for this story was great. Rereads of these are strange in a way because I don‘t feel like I remember any details, but I also feel I make better predictions than a first read so I must be remembering a bit. 5mo
AnneCecilie I hope we find out how Moriarty fits in and I‘m guessing we‘ll get the backstory 5mo
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Cuilin
The Valley of Fear | Arthur Conan Doyle
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Librarybelle It kind of reminded me of the very first story we read, with the next section alluding to a past circumstance (the convoluted long backstory from the first story we read popped into my mind. I section 2 is not like that). The reveal falls in line with other reveals. I think, overall, this story has more substance, as it is longer than a short story, which really helps bring out all of the details. 5mo
Cuilin @Librarybelle yes! There‘s a great energy/excitement yet the pace is calm. My curiosity was maintained without anxiety. 5mo
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dabbe @Librarybelle I wrote a similar thought re: similarities to A STUDY IN SCARLET, too! #greatminds 5mo
dabbe Without giving away spoilers to Part 2 (which I've just finished): While most Sherlock Holmes stories focus primarily on the puzzle and its solution, THE VALLEY OF FEAR incorporates broader themes such as justice, revenge, and the impact of secret societies. The backstory provides a richer, more complex understanding of the characters' motivations and the societal issues at play during this time period. 5mo
AnneCecilie It does remind me of several of the stories in that the solution comes before we know what happened. There‘s been several guilty people giving their statements to Holmes and explaining everything. 5mo
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Cuilin
The Valley of Fear | Arthur Conan Doyle
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#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin @dabbe

I hadn‘t heard much about this mystery and feel it‘s somewhat underrated. I really enjoyed part I. What say you?

Librarybelle I liked this one too and have not heard much about it. I found I had to keep reading this section, I was that engrossed that I did not want to stop. 5mo
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CatLass007 I loved the comments about fictional detectives and the way they solve their cases without letting the reader know how they know. I think that was in the first or second chapter. I suspected the identity of the killer. 5mo
dabbe I read this aeons ago and forgot how intriguing Part 1 was! A cipher, a castle/mansion with a moat, a murder ... what's not to love? I have a feeling this one will be similar to A STUDY IN SCARLET in that Part 2 is going to take us to America and give us the whole backstory. 5mo
Cuilin @CatLass007 A little inside humor as we know Sherlock mysteries are not fair play. 😊 5mo
Cuilin @dabbe It had me a cipher, then a castle with a moat!! 🧑‍🍳 💋 5mo
CogsOfEncouragement This was my first time reading it and I really enjoyed it. 5mo
Daisey I really enjoyed Part 1, with the intriguing manor house and cipher and all. 5mo
AnneCecilie I enjoyed part 1 and the mention of Moriarty had me intrigued, but as a modern reader it is a little strange that we know the murder by part 1 and there‘s still a part 2. I more used to the murder being revealed at the end. It does change the focus on what‘s important important in the story (edited) 5mo
eeclayton I'm reading this for the first time and enjoying it a lot. I was a little confused for a bit because of the mention of Moriarty as to where on the timeline we were. 5mo
Cuilin @eeclayton Yes it was surprising to see Moriarty mentioned. We are reading in the order it was published. Watson/Doyle did necessarily write in chronological order. 5mo
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