Sherlock Holmes quotes

"That cold, incisive, ironical voice could belong to but one man in all the world."
Watson on Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Imagine a ruined house, an inheritance, a mysterious set of feral twins, a topiary garden, a murder, a ghost--these are just some of the Gothic elements that permeate The Thirteenth Tale.

 

Vida Winter, a successful novelist, contacts the bookish narrator, Margaret Lea, because she has one more tale to tell--the titular 13th tale. For years she has created falsehoods rather than reveal her past. She tell Margaret Lea she intends to tell the truth, at last, before the "wolf" catches her.

The Thirteenth Tale is a Gothic novel that explores how secrets and dark obsessions can destroy a family. More than that, however, it playfully looks at the slippery notion of self-hood--the small and cataclysmic changes that affect us and shake our identity.

If the novel is about abandonment--there's more than one abandoned child; it is, joyfully, also about reclaiming your family and your place in the world. 

Fans of this novel might enjoy seeing BBC a mini-series adaptation starring Olivia Holman and Lynn Redgrave. Setterfield's latest novel is Bellman and Black: a Ghost Story.

The Lost City of Z

The Lost City of Z by David Grann.

Soon to be a motion picture, this non-fiction narrative gives a detailed account of Col. Fawcett's last perilous trek into the Amazons. Fawcett, his son, and a friend mysteriously disappeared while searching for a lost civilization.

Grann, a journalist, interposes Fawcett's tale with his own adventures (and those of others) who sought answers about Fawcett's disappearance.

Fawcett was an accomplished amateur explorer who had been trained by the Royal Geographic Society.

Grann strikes the right balance between describing Fawcett's accomplishments and his romanticism and obsessions. Though early expeditions were focused on map-making, Fawcett became convinced of the existence of advanced Amazonian city lost in the jungle.

Though many people searched for the missing explorer, he disappeared in 1925. Some of his effects were found among various Indian tribes but it was his custom to give gifts as peace-making offerings. 

Unlike other explorers, Fawcett approached Indians unarmed and cultivated friendships with the most dangerous tribes. His tactics required great courage and specialized knowledge.

Fawcett's actions led the way for archaeologists to discover pre-Columbian settlements. While these were settlement  were different from the stone ruins he pictured, they quite possibly may have been the civilization Fawcett was searching for all along.

The Real World of Sherlock Holmes

The Real World of Sherlock Holmes by Peter Costello.



Costello gives a fascinating look at Sherlock Holmes' creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the real mysteries he investigated. Trained as a doctor, Doyle became fascinated by forensics of the day as taught by Dr. Joseph Bell. What is lesser known, however, is that average citizens contacted Doyle to help solve cases. Just like his legendary literary counterpart, Sherlock Holmes, Doyle solved cases and vindicated the innocent.

Sherlock Holmes is more popular than ever in movies and miniseries. PBS has a Fall 2013 two-hour special, How Sherlock Changed the World and the BBC has the popular Sherlock set in contemporary times.

Forensic magazine

For those interesting in writing crime fiction, here is a must read!
http://www.forensicmag.com/

I just discovered this magazine recently and its filled with useful information for the would-be crime writer.

 Latest issue below:

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic is an enjoyable, comic fantasy. During a particularly low point in her life, Graduate student, Nora Fischer, finds herself accidentally transported to a magical world.

Among the Faitoren, Nora feels happy and loved but this is just an illusion. The Faitoren use magic to con and betray her. Fortunately, she is rescued by Aruendiel, a magician, and the two develop a complicated friendship.

In Aruendiel's domain and in other non-Faitoren places, women have traditional roles, much like they did in 18th-century England. Women cook, clean, bear children but aren't expected to get an education or learn magic. This leaves Nora, who is highly educated and naturally curious, in a quandary.

In addition, no one seems to know what Nora's role should be. She's not humble enough to be a servant. Conversely, she's not wealthy or well-connected enough to become a lady-at-court. Unfit for marriage in her own world, Nora finds that she is also unfit for marriage in this magical place.

Nora continually challeges the the treatment of women and rules about social status. She does this all the while studying magic and even returning the favor Areundiel once did for her. When a passage opens, however, that allows her to return to her own world, Nora once again feels conflicted. Should she return to her family or stay in this magical world where she is beginning to feel accepted?

Many questions are left unanswered in this magical adaption of Pride and Prejudice. Hopefully, Barker intends to write a sequel.

Similar titles: The Magician by Lev Grossman and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke. 

The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession

The Bookman's Tale is a literary mystery that spans centuries. As its core, the books explores the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. Most concur that Shakespeare is the single author but anti-Stratfordists claim that Francis Bacon or that Christopher Marlowe authored the plays. 

To its credit, The Bookman's Tale unmasks several additional puzzles. In the present century, Peter who is still grieving for his late wife, discovers a watercolor portrait of her in a rare book. What puzzles him is the watercolor portrait was taken during the Victorian era and it bears the initials "B.B."

A second thread, interwoven with the contemporary story, involves seventeenth century London characters.  A particularly avaricious bookseller acquires a rare edition of Pandosto--a source for Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale.

Binding these two stories together is a Victorian mystery involving the proper ownership of the Pandosto and other rare documents, some of which are cleverly forged.

A divisive feud among the Aldersons and Gardners results in animosity and vengeance. Hanging in the balance, is the Victorian era portrait of a woman brushing her hair and her mysterious connection to Peter's deceased wife.

Verdict:
The novel is tailor made for bibliophiles and mystery fans. If you like The Bookman's Tale, try Possession by A.S. Byatt.



Related books:

Byatt, A.S. Possession.

Cook, Judith. Roaring Boys: Shakespeare's Rat Pack.

Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World.

Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare.

New! Writing Contest.

Believe it or not, there's no entry fee.

Deadline: 7 January 2014

2013 RRofihe Trophy for an unpublished short story is now accepting entries. Minimum word count: 3,500; maximum to 5,000 words. Winner receives $500 cash and a trophy. Announcement and publication on anderbo.com.

2013 CONTEST READER: JEAN HARTIG

Jean Hartig is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. She is former associate editor of Poets & Writers Magazine and has served on the editorial staff of A Public Space and Lumina, published by Sarah Lawrence College, where she earned her MFA.

GUIDELINES:

• Stories should be typed, double-spaced, with the author’s name, the story's title, and contact information on the first page
• Submissions must be received by January 7th, 2014
• Limit one submission per author
• Author must not have been previously published in Open City Magazine or on Anderbo
• E-mail submissions to editors@anderbo.com with RROFIHE TROPHY in the subject line
• You must submit your story-manuscript entry within the body of the e-mail—no attachments!
• There is no reading fee and all literary rights will remain with the author

CONTEST JUDGE: RICK ROFIHE

Contest Judge Rick Rofihe is the author of FATHER MUST, a collection of short stories published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Grand Street, Open City, Swink, Unsaid, and on epiphanyzine, slushpilemag, and fictionaut. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, SPY, and The East Hampton Star, and on mrbellersneighborhood. A recipient of the Whiting Writers’ Award, he has taught MFA writing at Columbia University. He currently teaches privately in New York City, and was an advisor to the Vilcek Foundation for their 2011 prizes in the field of literature. Rick is the Editor of Anderbo.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Questions/ submissions: editors@anderbo.com

Website: http://www.anderbo.com

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

Gaiman is a master at creating magical stories and this novel is no exception. In this sad, but enchanting story there are "fleas," "varmints," and a diabolical babysitter.

 A "flea" is a monster who embeds a path into its victims that allows it to escape from its own world. Though the boy does not realize it, imprinted on his heart is a portal. The "flea" uses him to gain access to him and his family, nearly destroying them in the process. A "varmint" is a large bird-like creature that is essentially a scavenger. 

George puts his trust in Lettie and her pond, which she calls an ocean. Together they battle the "flea" and the "varmints" that hunt them. Will Lettie's magic and the healing powers of the ocean be enough to save them?

Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt

Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt.

A car wreck nearly ruins a young photographer's life in this riveting novel. A runaway at 15, Isabelle becomes a successful photographer. She marries but never has what she yearns for--a child.
 

When her she learns her husband has been cheating on her, she runs away again. Unfortunately, Isabel's car collides with an approaching car while driving down a lonely, fog-filled backroad near Hartford.

Pictures of You offers a tantalizing mystery. What was April, the other driver, running away from? Why was her car faced in the wrong direction? Why was she standing in the middle of the road? 

Horrified that a young mother has died, Isabelle tries to make a connection with the victim's family. Slowly, as they heal, Charlie and Sam, grow to love Isabelle. Complicating matters, however, is Sam's asthma and his tendency to romanticize the ordinary. Sam is conviced that Isabelle is an angel who can help him reconnect with his deceased mother.

Pictures of You is A bittersweet story about second chances, overcoming fear, and finding love.

http://carolineleavitt.com/
 

 

Advice for Writers

Advice for Writers:
http://blogs.douglascountylibraries.org/thewire/

Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth

Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth. Cold Light is an amazing book that takes readers for a dark ride. Primarily a mystery, Cold Light is also a psychological exploration into the minds and psyches of three British school girls.

Lola is friends with a much more popular girl, Chloe, who often gets in trouble. Lola, also known as Laura, has to clean up all of Chloe's messes. Even though Lola knows she's being played, she thinks it beats the
alternative--being thrown down the stairs and bullied by the other teenagers in her form.

Meanwhile another girl, Emma, is rallying to take Lola's place as Chloe's best friend. Chloe has already been distancing herself from Lola by spending time with an older man, her boyfriend, Carl.

Lola does not like Carl or Emma's intrusions but what disturbs her most is what happens in the park on Boxing Day. Add to the mix, a flasher tormenting the community and a missing person who may or may not be the flasher. 

A novel about friendship, secrets, trust, betrayal, and misplaced loyalty. The novel surprises with many reversals. Those who appear guileless are actually crafty and those who seem sophisticated are actually naïve. The young girl at the center of the story, Lola, feels responsible for two deaths. In fact, she is not culpable for these deaths but is quite possibly responsible for the demise of two others.

 

When asked what she wants to do for a science project, Lola responds without thinking too much about it, "Ice." Ice will play an important part in this story as will light. Lola's father's who displays early signs of dementia is enthralled by bioluminescent sea animals. Lola's father suffers from the delusion that he is a scientific researcher and readies himself to go on a scientific expedition. 

 

This is in a sense what Ashworth puts readers on--a scientific expedition to discover the truth of how Chloe died. Ashworth has written a surprising, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking novel.

If you like this novel, you may also enjoy Alex Marwood's Wicked Girls. 

 

A Certain Slant of Light

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb.

Whitcomb begins with an intriguing premise. What if, after you died, your spirit continues to linger among those living on earth for years to come? What if one of the ones called Light found a recently abandoned body and decided to inhabit it?

After a boy overdoses on drugs, James enters Billy's body. Though James is far older than a teenager, he becomes "Billy" to all those around him. As Billy, James can "see" Helen in his high school classroom, even though no one else can.

Helen is a first flustered and then delighted to be able to communicate with someone. For 130 years, she has simply lived as Light, haunting people she calls Hosts. Her last host was Billy's teacher, Mr. Brown, but everything changes after Billy/James can see her.

Helen and James become romantically involved, with James urging Helen to borrow a body, too. Though she has qualms about it, she borrows the body of a teenage girl. With their borrowed bodies each of them begins to have memories of their previous lives. James had been a soldier and Helen had been a mother of a two-year-old.

Helen and James both know they cannot keep the bodies they inhabit, so they devise a way to help the departed return.

This a young adult novel with a lot to offer to adults and teenagers. Characters, especially James, are well-developed and believable. The premise, though far-fetched, is one that intrigues and, in the end, delights.