50 books to read before you die discussion

*Message to Mods: I hope you don't mind me making this thread, I wanted a place to discuss this book with other members. I put it in the 'Other Books' folder but let me know if you want me to move it.

This the open nominations February 2016 group read. It is the first book/novella in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series. Discuss the book here but please hide any spoilers using the spoiler tags. (See 'some html is ok' at the top of your comment if you're unsure of how to do this)

Enjoy!

I will be reading this and joining the discussion. I will also be reading the complete Sherlock Holmes collection slowly over the course of the whole year (averaging 150-ish pages per month) if anyone wants to join me and continue the discussions as a side read.

Sophie wrote: "*Message to Mods: I hope you don't mind me making this thread, I wanted a place to discuss this book with other members. I put it in the 'Other Books' folder but let me know if you want me to move ..."

Thank you Sophie, I've had a family emergency and the last few days were a blur. I really appreciate that someone set up the thread. I'm going to move the thread to our monthly group reads.

Kenneth wrote: "I will be reading this and joining the discussion. I will also be reading the complete Sherlock Holmes collection slowly over the course of the whole year (averaging 150-ish pages per month) if any..."

That's a good plan! I own the complete stories so I may join you. I'll see how much I like this one and go from there.

Lisa wrote: "Thank you Sophie, I've had a family emergency and the last few days were a blur. I really appreciate that someone set up the thread. I'm going to move the thread to our monthly group reads."

No problem. Sending best wishes your way.

Ok Sophie! I hope you do join in! And anyone else too!

I started reading this last night. I'm 2 chapters in and I already have a bit to talk about.

First up has anyone seen the BBC's Sherlock TV show? I have and I really wanted to forget about it going in and read this book without any preconceptions. So far no luck with that. It's so similar so far that I'm having real trouble not picturing the show. Hopefully as the differences become more clear I'll be able to separate them in my mind.

John compares some other characters of literature to Sherlock. I had heard of neither of them prior to reading this. The first is Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin. After some research I now know that Dupin appears in 3 of Poe's stories. Those being; The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), The Mystery of Marie Roget (1842) and The Purloined Letter (1844). The other character he mentioned was Émile Gaboriau's Lecoq. The first novel featuring Lecoq is The Lerouge Case. Have you read either of these series? I now want to read both.

So far I'm really enjoying this. Arthur Conan Doyle's writing is simple and uncluttered yet still engaging and Sherlock is such an interesting character. John's list of his 'limits' made me smile.

This was my first Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed it, thought it was quite good. I hadn't known that Holmes and Watson knew each other because they were roommates. or, that the story is recounted by Watson.

I didn't notice any mention of the deerstalker hat or the calabash pipe, The mental picture of Sherlock Holmes.

I don't understand the meaning of the title, A Study in Scarlet. The phrase was in the dialogue near the end of the book, but I don't know its meaning.

Finally started this. It shouldn't take me more than 2-3 days to finish it so I'll read previous comments and add in my own soon.

I read mysteries only occasionally. I thought that the great mystery writers always gave us the clues so that if we are as sharp as as the story's detective, we can figure it out, or when he tells us who-done-it we can say "Aha! I should've known."

Holmes names the perp, but we had no way of knowing his name, only his initials. Then, much later in the book, Holmes reveals that he had learned the name in response to a telegram he had sent.

About halfway, or maybe two-thirds of the way through the book, Holmes apprehends the guilty party, and the others, Dr. Watson and the two Scotland Yard detectives want to know how he knew and he promises to tell them. Then the story changes to a tale of the desolate west in America, at an earlier time. I felt cheated - Holmes hasn't told us how he solved the mystery. As the new story progressed, there was the name of one of the murdered men. It was the front story, and so we learn the why of it. And then finally we return to the present with Holmes, Watson, et al.

Kenneth wrote: "Finally started this. It shouldn't take me more than 2-3 days to finish it so I'll read previous comments and add in my own soon."

Did you finish it, Kenneth?

Buck wrote: "Then the story changes to a tale of the desolate west in America, at an earlier time. I felt cheated - Holmes hasn't told us how he solved the mystery. As the new story progressed, there was the name of one of the murdered men..."

So in the end do you still feel cheated Buck? Do you wish the story had been more focused on Sherlock and the rest or do you see what the background information on the murderer adds to the story.

Overall I enjoyed the extra information we got about the murderer but still feel that the tale was dragged out too long and felt strange slotted in to the middle of the story.

Sophie wrote: "So in the end do you still feel cheated Buck? Do you wish the story had been more focused on Sherlock and the rest or do you see what the background information on the murderer adds to the story. "

No, in the end, I didn't feel cheated. It just seemed odd at first that suddenly the story completely changed, and it seemed to have ended, unfinished. I had thought it was a completely new story, but of course it soon became evident that it was the backstory of the long relationship between the two murdered men, their murderer, and his justification. In the end, (view spoiler)[ when he died of natural causes, it meant that he didn't have to suffer the punishment for murder, that 'we' weren't compelled to bring him to justice for his crime of justified retribution (hide spoiler)]

Bottom line, I enjoyed it, and I'll read more Sherlock Holmes.

The three of you really enjoyed this. Should I set up the next one (what is the next one?) for next month?

Four novels and five books of short stories.

1 A Study in Scarlet
2 The Sign of the Four
3 The Hound of the Baskervilles
4 The Valley of Fear

1 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
2 The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
3 The Return of Sherlock Holmes
4 His Last Bow
5 The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

Buck wrote: "Four novels and five books of short stories.

1 A Study in Scarlet
2 The Sign of the Four
3 The Hound of the Baskervilles
4 The Valley of Fear

1 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
2 The Memoirs of ..."

I've read The Adventures...

Lisa wrote: "Buck wrote: "Four novels and five books of short stories.

1 A Study in Scarlet
2 The Sign of the Four
3 The Hound of the Baskervilles
4 The Valley of Fear

1 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
2 Th..."

So would you like to read the rest?

Sure - I'm up for the novels. Anybody else?

I'm definitely up for that. Sounds good.

Buck wrote: "No, in the end, I didn't feel cheated. It just seemed odd at first that suddenly the story completely changed, and it seemed to have ended, unfinished. I had thought it was a completely new story, but of course it soon became evident that..."

I agree with everything you said here.

Sorry. I did finish it over a week ago but have been busy and have not gotten on here to talk about it. :(
I did enjoy the parts with Sherlock a lot. The backstory part I thought was interesting but a bit too long. Overall, very good story and I am definitely continuing with more Sherlock whether the group decides to or not!! Just let me know!

I would be up for reading more Sherlock Holmes. I think Study in Scarlet was just his first and he was trying to prove that he had thought through the backstory to whatever publisher was giving him a hard time about it. (that is just my theory, but I think it is supported by the tighter plots in later writing)

After reading A Study in Scarlet, I've read, in order of publication (I think) The Sign of Four, a novel, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of stories.

The stories were published in a monthly periodical. I think that would be a good way to read them. Reading them all at once, I reached my Sherlock Holmes saturation point.

I do expect that, over time, I'll read all the Sherlock Holmes. It's available, I think, as The Complete Sherlock Holmes, but I'm doing it piece by piece.

I'm at Engineers thumb of Adventures, and yeah I picked up the collection. I've read that the Moriarty arc is really good, but I agree on only so much Sherlock to a point.

I own the complete Sherlock Holmes but it's way too intimidating to read all at once! I'll take my time and enjoy the stories individually.

I love the type of classical literature, i hope to manage to read it in my life-time.

I like to read next ebooks.

Sophie wrote: "I started reading this last night. I'm 2 chapters in and I already have a bit to talk about.

First up has anyone seen the BBC's Sherlock TV show? I have and I really wanted to forget about it goi..."

Hi, Sophie.

First up has anyone seen the BBC's Sherlock TV show? I have and I really wanted to forget about it going in and read this book without any preconceptions. So far no luck with that. It's so similar so far that I'm having real trouble not picturing the show. Hopefully as the differences become more clear I'll be able to separate them in my mind.

I've listened to BBC's audio book of Sherlock Holmes stories, it was dramatized by Bert Coules. Try this one. I liked it a lot.

John compares some other characters of literature to Sherlock. I had heard of neither of them prior to reading this. The first is Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin. After some research I now know that Dupin appears in 3 of Poe's stories. Those being; The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), The Mystery of Marie Roget (1842) and The Purloined Letter (1844). The other character he mentioned was Émile Gaboriau's Lecoq. The first novel featuring Lecoq is The Lerouge Case. Have you read either of these series? I now want to read both.

Edgar Allan Poe is not familiar to me, I've read only few of his small stories. But year ago I liked a lot the following:
(view spoiler)[

I am come of a race noted for vigor of fancy and ardor of passion. Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence — whether much that is glorious- whether all that is profound — does not spring from disease of thought — from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect. They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. In their gray visions they obtain glimpses of eternity, and thrill, in awakening, to find that they have been upon the verge of the great secret...

(hide spoiler)]
It is the beginning of "Eleonora" by Edgar Allan Poe. I found it quoted in another book. And the words impressed me.

I also read his poem "The Raven", it is beautiful.

So far I'm really enjoying this. Arthur Conan Doyle's writing is simple and uncluttered yet still engaging and Sherlock is such an interesting character. John's list of his 'limits' made me smile.

I see in relation between Holmes and Watson an example of a true man friendship. It's charming. During all the story I as a reader stay inside its warmth and kindness, any miscellaneous harshness or rudeness between Watson and Holmes are negligible. But I'd not like to interfere with such an analytical mind as an opponent and test his mercy and of his friend, Watson.)

I do like audio books so I might try those ones. I've read a bit of Edgar Allan Poe and I love his writing. The Raven is a really great poem. I like your interpretation of Holmes and Watson's friendship.

I agree with Sophie on your description of Watson and Holmes :)

Well said!