Obsession: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Here's what I've been reading lately. I know that you're on the edge of your seats.

Daring Chloe by Laura Jensen Walker - This was free for my Kindle on amazon. It's the first book in a series. I think amazon does that a lot, offering the first in a series to try to suck you into the series, but it was a giant failure in this case. I'm pretty sure that the author wants me to care about the other women in the book group our main character is a part of, but I don't. So. It was a completely fine read. Nothing more, nothing less.

Fantasy in Death by J. D. Robb - Oh, geez. I love me some J. D. Robb. But this book? It was kind of boring. I didn't really understand the ending, either. When I'm rereading pages several times in a trashy murder mystery novel, there's something wrong. I should get it the first time. Not still be puzzled several rereads later. I think Nora Roberts may be rushing these out to market way too quickly. (If anyone cares, I think the last two books in the series, Promises and Kindred, were kinda boring, too...uh oh, Penguin, you better start taking this seriously when a hardcore fan starts to get lukewarm on your series!)

My Name is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder - A little lad lit to lighten my load. Russell is an average guy in a boring job and evermore boring things happen to him. This book was amusing at times, but, eh. Meh.

Moonstone by Marilee Brothers - This is a the first in a young adult series about (wait for it) a young girl who realizes that she has special powers. Thank you Harry Potter and Bella Swann for all that you have introduced into the world. However, despite the somewhat uncreative premise, I really liked this book. I liked the character, I like the writing, and as soon as my spending moratorium is up, I'm going to read the next book in the series.

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison - Hey, another free book that is the first in a series. It's kind of Anita Blake-ish. Woman with "something special" deals with others with "something special." Frankly, I found it somewhat difficult to follow and definitely snooze inducing. Sorry, amazon, but I'm not going to read the next book!

Battle of the Network Zombies by Mark Henry - I read about 5% of this book and couldn't take it anymore. There was no exposition, you were dropped right into the middle of like five hundred plot lines with five billion characters and I. . . just stopped reading.

You Can't Stop Me by Matthew Clemens - Sort of loosely based on a John Walsh-type character of a man trying to find his wife and son's killer by starting a television show, I was hypnotized by this book. I can't figure out why. I mean, the writing is simple, the characters not really developed in any real way, but I couldn't stop reading it. I guess I just imagined myself in a sort of world in which I lost my family due to violence and this guy did exactly the opposite of what I think I'd do. And I was interested.

The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher: A Novel by Rob Stennett - More lad lit. But this lad lit?! Was hysterical. A guy manages to start a megachurch but he doesn't really believe in god. I laughed a lot at this book. Even the premise is ridiculous, but plausible. The dialogue was funny and the situations just uncomfortable enough to believe.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - I'm in love. As I read these stories, I started to realize that every mystery I've ever read has its roots in one of these stories. Holmes solves them all and J. D. Robb must just pick up one of these books whenever she needs a plot line because they're all in there. I love, love, love these.

His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Not nearly enough Holmes and Watson interaction in this little novella. Too much exposition and an unusual somnolent story. Skip it and reread Memoirs instead.

Dancing in the Moonlight by RaeAnne Thayne - A perfect acceptable Harlequin romance novel. Girl remeets boy after long separation. Girl and boy bicker. Girl and boy fight irresistible attraction towards one another. Girl and boy fall in love. Girl and boy live happily ever after. It was fine. No brilliant prose here, but what am I looking for?