Category: Classics

Book Review: Hounds & Valleys

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The Hound of Baskervilles & The Valley of Fear, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 

 

Confession time. I have never read a Sherlock Holmes novel -well until this book I hadn’t. That probably sounds shocking to some seen as I read so much but it wasn’t until now that I had come across any that I truly wanted to read. This book edition includes The Hound of Baskervilles and The Valley of Fear. I immensely enjoyed The Hound of Baskervilles and the first part of The Valley of Fear but the second part I found quite difficult to get into and so, I weren’t that fussed about it. Both novels involve both Holmes and Watson trying to solve perplexing crimes that they’ve been told of. 


 The novel, The Hound of Baskervilles, revolves around the murder of Sir Charles Baskerville, the legendary curse of the hound that haunts the Baskervilles and Holmes trying to prevent the new master, Sir Henry Baskerville, coming to the same fate as his predecessor. As Holmes and Watson unravel the mystery, events, and characters within this tale, so to do the readers. This made for a quick read for me, mostly because of how exciting and gripping the tale was. 

 The first part of The Valley of Fear was also a fast read for the same reason. The story drew me in and I felt enveloped within the story, wanting to know more and more until I reached the final verdict. As I mentioned, I wasn’t all that fussed with the second part. In comparison to the first, I found it a little slow to start and I didn’t feel as drawn in as I previously had. Though I would still recommend the first part and The Hound of Baskervilles to any who enjoy intriguing puzzles or ‘murder mystery’ type things. I can already see The Hound of Baskervilles becoming one of those books I return to continuously. 

Have you ever read these books? What did you think? Comment Below
Cheerio for now! 

Book review: the wind in the willows

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The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

The wind in the willows is a classic home to many a bookshelf. It’s one of those books you hear as a child and hold forever, like the wizard of oz or the little princess. This book has always held a nostalgic place in my heart and while I don’t often return to books from my childhood, I couldn’t resist returning to it this fall.

 
I find Kenneth Grahame’s descriptions of nature, the river and the wild wood so beautiful and mesmerising that I often become distracted by picturing the natural surroundings rather than paying attention to the story. Fall is often the time we all hibernate into the warmth of our homes, wrapping ourselves in cozy layers with warm brews; though after spending a summer stuck inside I wanted to get out in nature -so to speak. While my health hasn’t improved that much since summer, I decided rather than chance a flare and cold from the bitter cold, I’d instead turn to a book. A book bulging with references and descriptions of the life of outside nature and general wilderness. 
 
If you’ve been living under a rock and have never read the wind in the willows, I’ll give you the quick run down -and the Amazon link. The story of the wind in the willows follows the adventures of the water rat, mole, toad and badger. All equally interesting characters, we read of their adventures at the river, the wild wood and the troubles they (mostly toad) find themselves in. The main lessons are to always go through the wild wood in pairs, never joy ride a motor car and do not dress as a washerwoman –it’s not a good look. 
 
In all seriousness, I love this book and thoroughly enjoyed returning to it. If you like this story, its characters or even just psychology/counselling, you should also check out counselling for toads which involve toad, badger, the water rat, and mole -but mainly toad. I also loved that book and would recommend to anyone who loves the wind in the willows. 

Have any suggestions for fall reads? leave them in a comment below
Cheerio for now!

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Dracula

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Dracula, Bram Stoker

Flat Lay: Dracula, by Bram Stoker (Red Leather-bound classic by Barnes & Nobles)

October has always been my favourite month, and while there are many Halloween movies I love to revisit each year, I wanted to turn my attention to some darker books. Initially, I had set my sights on Frankenstein but after many failed attempts, I tossed it across the room and reached for Dracula. As you can see, it’s a pretty chunky book which made it a little daunting at first; however, as soon as I started the first page I was sucked into the story and within a few days I had entirely finished.

 
Dracula by Bram Stoker is a classic with many having read, watched adaptions or know of the story in some form of way. Going into this book I was nervous about its’ length and language used. Classic books often hold the reputation of having long, difficult language throughout; being hard for the reader to decipher. However, the language used was simple and straightforward, making it a super easy read. The story is told through a series of journal entries, letters and news articles, from a handful of the characters within the story. At first, I worried whether I’d be able to keep up with whose perspective I was reading when, though it was a lot easier than I thought and I whizzed through the book. 
This was a really enjoyable read, especially for this time of year. Reading the story through multiple perspectives, corresponding letters and articles added another dimension to the tale, which made it all the more gripping. Another thing I loved was that even though it is told in an alternative way, it doesn’t scrimp on describing the vividly eerie environments and surroundings throughout. 
 
This made for a great Autumn read -in fact, I’m probably going to find it hard finding my next Autumn/Halloween read after enjoying Dracula so much. 
 
Any recommendations for Halloween reads? Leave a comment below

Cheerio for now! 
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