Book Review: The Adventure of The Dying Detective

As you may have guessed from the title, this book for #reviewsdaytuesday is one of the original Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Well technically, it's a short story, but close enough. (If you're wondering why I didn't start with the first Sherlock Holmes book, A Study in Scarlet, it's because it's such an awesome novel that I'd need to spend more time on a book review to do it justice. And I picked this particular short story because I've read it recently and I like it.)

As this is not the first story, here's a brief summary of the Sherlock Holmes books.
For non-Sherlockians: Sherlock Holmes is a consulting detective, a genius who helps the police solve crimes. Dr. John Watson is an ex-army doctor who now writes books. They share a flat at 221B (at least at the beginning of the books) and solve crimes together.
For BBC Sherlock fans: The books are very similar to the TV series, except that they are set in the late 1800s/early 1900s. John writes books, not a blog. and John and Sherlock are older (possibly. See this forum discussion about their ages.) I should also point out that while Johnlock isn't canon in TV series (depending on how you interpret it), it's even more not canon in the books. John and Sherlock have a close platonic relationship, and they are not romantically involved.

Spoiler-free introduction: this story is set later in the series, and Sherlock is much older now. When Sherlock contracts a rare and difficult-to-cure disease, John wants to help him (he is a doctor, after all), but Sherlock refuses.

Okay, this is a mystery story, so there are major spoilers ahead. Read on only if you've read the story.

The Adventure of the Dying Detective

It sounds a bit like fanfiction, doesn't it? But this is actually a story Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. It's a great example of the way John Watson has come to really care about Sherlock over the time of their cases together. John's concern for Sherlock's well-being is clear and real, and he wants to do anything he can to help. When John goes to fetch Mr. Culverton Smith, it shows how much he trusts Sherlock's judgement. Rather than insist on having things his own way and tending to Sherlock himself (or getting other doctors who he knows are skilled), John chooses to listen to Sherlock and take his advice.

Of course, there's also Sherlock's side of the story. Sherlock comes up with a brilliant plan to foil Culverton. Sherlock often discovers and stops the schemes of criminals, and in this case, Sherlock develops a counter-scheme. Sherlock makes it appear that Culverton's plan has succeeded and gets Culverton to come over and gloat. If it hadn't been for Sherlock's plan, Culverton might have won, as somebody was bound to accidentally touch the box eventually. But by convincing Culverton that he was actually dying, Sherlock stopped that from happening.

What starts out as a very serious story changes to a humorous one as the reader realizes what Sherlock is up to. The whole thing would never have happened had it not been for Sherlock's great plan, John's compliance, and Culverton's gullibility.

I really enjoyed this story, and it's a great one to read if you're already familiar with the original books or BBC Sherlock. Even if you don't know the Sherlock stories that well, it's still fun to read.

Book Review- David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

And my post for today is late again. I really need to get back on schedule. Anyway, as it's #reviewsdaytuesday again, it's time for another book review.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

Every Christian knows the story of David and Goliath; a little shepherd boy defeated a big, scary giant with just a sling and a stone, showing us that with God's help, an underdog can win. Right? Wrong. Malcom Gladwell explains that David's victory isn't as surprising as it seems because he fought with unconventional methods. The author then goes on to explain how much of what we think of the way the world works and the way to succeed is not necessarily accurate. Sometimes the very things we view as disadvantages can work in our favor, and sometimes the things we consider to be our strengths can be our downfalls. This is a book about seeing the world, and our supposed advantages and disadvantages, differently.

I really enjoy reading thought-provoking books like this. A short, fluffy story is fine, but it's nice to read something that really digs into your brain and changes the way you see the world. This book has challenged me to re-examine many of my thoughts and ideas, and that's definitely a good thing. In this book, one of the ideas Gladwell talks about is the idea of "desirable difficulties", things which most people perceive as disadvantages that can actually be advantageous. For example, he says that people with Dyslexia can compensate in other way, and because of this and also the way that they think differently, they can often go on to become very successful in the world. Another thing Gladwell talks about is that there can be too much of a good thing. Power is no good if there is too much of it. Even too much money can be a disadvantage. 

This book changed my viewpoint forever, and it's changed for the better. It opened my mind and opened up my philosophical side. It also changed my understanding of the story of David and Goliath, making me remember that often books and stories can get misinterpreted and encouraging me to think carefully about how I read and interpret things. I would definitely read another book by this author, and I'd certainly recommend this book to you.

Book Review: 1984

Yep, it's #reviewsdaytuesday again. This week, the book is 1984 by George Orwell.

1984 

In this dystopian novel set in 1984 (hence the title), Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the Party in London, Oceania. The Party, led by the mysterious Big Brother, controls everything. They control the language so that words about political rebellion don't exist anymore, and they even change history (or at least, the records of it). The Party is always watching everyone through the telescreens, making sure nobody breaks the law. And what is the worst crime? The Newspeak (the language of the Party) word is "thoughtcrime", and it simply means thinking something that is wrong or illegal. Winston starts keeping a diary (it's illegal to even have a diary), and he writes about how he hates that the Party has banned free thought, sex, and individuality of any sort. He meets Julia, who is in love with him, and they start having an affair, in direct defiance of the Party. Eventually, they are noticed by O'Brien, a powerful Party member who Winston suspects is part of the Brotherhood, the secret organization to overthrow the Party.

OKAY MAJOR SPOILER ALERT NOW. DON'T READ ON UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE BOOK OR DON'T CARE ABOUT SPOILERS

It turns out that O'Brien is actually a member of the Thought Police; i.e., he is a spy for the Party. He takes Winston and Julia to be tortured. They are taken to the dreaded room 101, where they each have to confront their deepest fear. Winston is so afraid of the rats that he asks O'Brien to send the rats to attack Julia, not him. He has finally snapped, which is what O'Brien wanted all along. Winston is broken, and he returns to the world. He has given up rebelling and come to love Big Brother.

SPOILER ALERT OVER. YOU CAN READ ON IF YOU LIKE.

This is a really well-written book, but it's also really disturbing. I really hope our society never becomes like this. I would rather die than live in a place where individuality, creativity, and free thought are illegal. I know security matters, but I don't want to be watched every second. And when I do have sex, I want it to be for pleasure, not as just "my duty to the Party". And I most certainly don't want to have to consciously live in rebellion until I break. While it's not exactly the happiest book, it is thought-provoking, and it's worth reading.

Book Review- The Fault In Our Stars

I was elated when I finally managed to get a hold of a copy of The Fault In Our Stars, and I was not disappointed as to its quality. So, here's my review:

The Fault in Our Stars

This book is about two teenagers with cancer. Hazel is a girl whose struggle with cancer is obvious and a part of her daily life. She meets Augustus and falls in love. However, she's afraid to be with him because she's feels that she's a "grenade" who will hurt everyone when she dies. She thinks it's almost better not to care, but she comes to realize that love is precious because it gives you an infinity in the limited time. Meanwhile, Augustus loves Hazel, but he doesn't want to tell her he's not as healthy as he looks. His cancer has come back. The two of them fight a battle, but they don't fight to defeat cancer, they fight to keep love and all the little things that make life meaningful for as long as they both love. And that is a worthy goal. 

This book was terribly sad because it was realistic. Life doesn't have fairy-tale endings. Bad things happen, and people get hurt. But in the meantime, they keep on living and breathing and loving. It's beautiful to see the way Hazel and Augustus think about the meaning of life and find meaning in their lives. This book shows that even if you didn't die for something special, you can still be an amazing person and have a life worth living. Even if the world doesn't remember you, there will still be the people whose lives you've touched, and that is beautiful. 

Book Review- The Mysterious Benedict Society

"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" That's the question asked by a strange ad in the newspaper. Many children respond, and they take a series of increasingly difficult and confusing tests. Only four children succeed, and they find that they were gathered together for a very important purpose: to go on a secret mission that will require every last bit of their intelligence, resourcefulness, and courage. They must stick together to face impossible odds and thwart the evil scheme of a genius who has been manipulating people for years. With the future of the world depending on them, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?

(Okay, so that was more of a synopsis than a review. But don't worry, I am going to actually review the book.)

The Mysterious Benedict Society

One of the things I really like about this book is the way the characters are portrayed, and the way they change throughout the story. The four children start off as fairly normal (apart from being gifted, of course), but as they face different challenges, they develop incredible strength of character. Each of them starts off with their own fears (for example, loneliness) and weaknesses (for example, nervousness), but they are forced to overcome these in order to succeed. The group also learns the importance of teamwork, and they find out that every person is essential to the mission, no matter how unhelpful they might seem.

I also really like the way this book tested my wits. Just as the children were trying to find the answers to the test questions and discover just what their enemy was up to, I too got to follow along and think about how to solve their problems. This book is really interesting, and it was nice to read something that not only kept my attention, but had me engaged as well.

Book review- Divergent

If you follow me on Google+, you may have seen this funny stroke of luck. (And these posts came within a few hours of each other, too!)

And from that moment on, I read Divergent basically nonstop. I finished it in about 2 days (though part of that was because I stayed up late to read it. I just had to know what happened!) So, while I wait for the next one to be available (I'm only a hundred-something on the wait-list for that one), here's my book review for #reviewsdaytuesday.

Divergent

I'm sure many of you have read a story set in a dystopian society (for example, the Hunger Games). Veronica Roth does a particularly good job of writing one. 

The basic premise is that a long time ago, society was divided into 5 different factions: Abnegation, the selfless; Amity, the friendly; Candor, the truthful; Dauntless, the brave; and Erudite, the intelligent. People who don't fit into more than one group are called Divergent and are considered highly dangerous.

This book is really great at providing a story that is not only interesting and exciting, but also thought provoking. As we see that the factions have become corrupted over time (it is a dystopia, after all), the book makes you wonder if it's really wise to devote your life to one certain characteristic or quality. After reading this, I think we need to be a little bit of all the factions. We need to be Divergent. And maybe that's dangerous, but making a choice to be different like that is selfless, peaceful, honest, brave, and smart.

Book Review- Rise of the Time Lords: A Geek's Guide to Christianity

Hello, dear readers! Sorry this post is late. I normally write my posts ahead of time and schedule them, but I got a bit behind. Without further ado, here is today's book review for #reviewsdaytuesday.

Rise of the Time Lords: A Geek's Guide to Christianity

Are you a geek? A science-fiction lover? A Christian? A person who wants to learn about Christianity?
If you answered "yes" to one or more of those questions, this book might be for you. In this book, Michael Belote uses fandom references (e.g., Star Wars, Doctor Who) and general geeky things (e.g., the formation of a star, quantum physics) to explain Christianity. This will allow you to see the bible and religion in a way you never have before.

Some people say, "I don't get all this Christianity stuff. It's too strange." You might think the Trinity is boring and confusing, but when it's explained through Flatland and a Pringles can, suddenly, it seems a bit more interesting. Reading this book really made Christianity come alive for me, and besides, it's fun! You get to learn about cool geeky concepts and Christianity!

This is a must read for any Christian geek. If you read it, you will quickly find it is worth your while. It gives you a good working knowledge of God and the Bible, but not so much that it makes your head explode. It explains things in a way that makes sense to us and provides a fresh new perspective from all the theology books that give you facts and explanations, but none of the fun stuff we geeks adore.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to go read the book! Allons-y!

Book Review- Brenwyd Legacy: Finding Truth

So today, I'd like to take a little break from writing about my fandoms to writing something different: a book review.

Brenwyd Legacy - Finding Truth

I actually first read this book several months ago, but I keep forgetting to review it. Finally, here it is. What reminded me was a video I saw a little while ago from Hank Green at vlogbrothers suggesting a new trend: #reviewsdaytuesday. You simply take a picture of a book and review it. I'm trying to post a review on amazon, but I'm hitting technical difficulties, so I'll do that later, although I will link to the website right here. So without further ado, here is my review.

This book had me hooked from the first sentence. "Long ago in Dark Age England, a woman slipped out of her house late at night, about to play a crucial role in a drama that would not end for many centuries." Right from the get-go, Groux had me excited and interested, and she also showed me that her writing is great. This is a must-read for anyone who loves fantasy, especially Christians. At first glance, it might seem like your typical fantasy story, complete with lovable animals. But, as you read it, you learn that it's more than that. These aren't just tales of adventure and bravery, they're tales of soul-searching, courage, trust, faith (in God and in each other), treachery, forgiveness, and, as the title says, truth. It's amazing to see the way the characters are developed throughout the story, especially Cassie and Will. I like how Cassie isn't your typical protagonist: she is by no standards weak, she is exceedingly brave, quick to trust and quicker to forgive, unhesitating to love, and unafraid to have and share her faith. I would certainly love to be like her. She also isn't the typical female lead who just falls for the first guy who crosses her path. She knows that loving and trusting God comes above all else. Her dedication towards her parents and her friends is amazing. It's also great to read Will's perspective and see how he struggles to find himself and what he believes in. All in all, it's a fantastic book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

So there you go. By the way, if you do get this book, I highly recommend getting a hard copy; the cover is made out of this really cool paper. You'll just have to see for yourself. I might make this #reviewsdaytuesday a regular thing, I don't know. It will probably depend on your feedback. Thank you all for reading this and have a great day. See you tomorrow when we start Fandom School!