February: Solo Kwame Alexander, moderator Janice Kriegel
March: The Diary of Mattie Spencer Sandra Dallas, moderator Ellen Folts
April: Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng, moderator Marybeth Mueller
DECEMBER The Sherlockian by Graham Moore Moderator, Brad Craddock JANUARY My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallant Moderator, Shelley Davis Hurtling from present day New York to Victorian London, The Sherlockian weaves the history of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle into an inspired and entertaining double mystery that proves to be anything but "elementary." In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective's next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning-crowds sported black armbands in grief-and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin. Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had "murdered" Holmes in "The Final Problem," he resurrected him. Though the writer kept detailed diaries of his days and work, Conan Doyle never explained this sudden change of heart. Afte
I found the book My Absolute Darling was hard to read for me. The story line is realistic but it is difficult to see Turtle being abused by her father. Turtle in the end learned how to become self sufficient. Her thoughts are normal to her, but it was hard to read the brutal criticism from her father too. This,to me, sounds like Stockholm Syndrome. Turtle became used to the abuse and could not see a way out. I don't think this book should by read by a high school class unless it is used for a more mature reader as an independent read. Overall, the book was interesting and believable.
ReplyDeleteThe book, The Sherlockian, was an interesting read. I am not familiar with any of the actual Sherlock Holmes books but I went into reading and had an idea of what to expect. The Baker Street Irregulars gathered each year, an interesting "club" in the modern age. As far as the story line, I found it easy to read. Henry's role in the book is believable and it was easy to follow along to solve the case. The way the story ended, after solving the case, was very abrubt and I think there could have been more to the story. It would be a good book for high school students as it was easy to read and the jumping back and forth between the two stories is an interesting approach that they might not be familiar with.