solve crimes. (Reading Response #2: Plugged)

Eoin Colfer's Plugged, his first novel for adults, follows the adventure of Dan McEvoy, an ex-soldier that served in the Irish army. Dan is now living in New Jersey working for a casino as a balding bouncer, soon to be involved in a serious mystery.

As a big fan of Eoin (pronounced like Owen) Colfer's work, I was very excited to pick up this book. I had first read the Artemis Fowl Series and many of his other books including The Supernaturalist, Half-Moon Investigations, Airman and The Wish List. As I read and enjoyed all of these works, I decided to pick up a copy of Plugged and now I finally have the time and reason to read it.

As I mentioned earlier, Dan is a balding forty-something year old. He is rather vain about his looks and almost constantly wears a hat. He tries hair-loss treatment - an act that gets him into this mystery. A lot of things have happened, and will happen, to Dan. He's survived wars, and now he has to survive the murder of his girlfriend and disappearance of his doctor, among others.

This book (so far, as I haven't gotten too far in) is a story of vanity. Dan is constantly worried about his hair and how he looks. Dan is a very sarcastic and cynical person, traits that only shine in his conversation and inner monologue. I'm not sure if I entirely like this story yet, the plot is setting itself up to be rather ordinary - but no book is new, they're just the same old stories regurgitated in a different way.

Be that as it may, Eoin Colfer's work is very readable and relatable. Reading this makes me want to go back and read about Artemis Fowl again. I recommend any of Colfer's books (particularly the ones shown below) to all of you.

Cheers,

Michelle

not pictured: Airman (another great book)

deduce things. (Reading Response #1: A Study in Scarlet)

"There's the scarlet thread of murder running though the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."        - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The first Sherlock Holmes story. And how cool is that cover? I've been rather obsessed with Sherlock Holmes since the first movie with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Then I discovered the BBC drama Sherlock and became more entranced by this detective and his adventures. I read The Hound of the Baskervilles. I've seen many of the old black-and-white movies as well, and I loved them. I bought the Complete Series (part I) from Barnes and Noble and I fully intended on reading the stories earlier this year, but life got in the way. Finally, I can focus and read, straight from Doyle's stories.

Sherlock, the BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch
 as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as John.

The story, for those of you who don't know, follows the first adventure of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson together. Holmes is the world's first consulting detective, a job he created, and he does freelance work with Scotland Yard and private clients. He solves clueless murders, find long-lost things and generally outsmarts everyone in the room. Watson, his friend and colleague, is a former army doctor. He assists Holmes on cases, and then writes about them (which is what we read.)

The first few pages were things I already knew: How Watson met Holmes, and I already know the plot of their first investigation together. Reading the true story, however, is so much better. Watson describes himself as lazy! That caught me by surprise, since he was just out of the military. In Afghanistan, he had been wounded and brought home. Wounded where? And to what extent? Doyle never really says. Sometimes it is his shoulder that pains him, other times it's his leg.

Whatever scene I am reading, the fangirl inside of me is happy. After years of watching Watson and Holmes on TV or the big screen, I know so much about these stories but the book has the real stuff, the details I've missed out on.

From the little that I have read about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mysteries weren't his favorite things to write. He preferred romance, and yet his Holmes-and-Watson stories were what captured everyone's heart. After many stories and books on the duo, he attempted to kill off Holmes and end his stories forever. The fans, on the other hand, didn't think that this was the best thing to do. So Doyle brought him back (that story will be in part II). I'm quite excited to read more, and I plan on reading all of these adventures eventually. Right now, I'm just happy to read A Study in Scarlet.

Cheers,

Michelle