August has provided a lot of time for reading, and I've managed to finish four books this month. The Hound of the Baskervilles has been a book I've avoided for quite a while. In a way, I always thought of it as the quintessential Sherlock Holmes novel, and since I've had such unfavorable ideas regarding Sherlock Holmes in the past, it was with a heavy heart that I started reading. But since the steam-punky rendition of Holmes on the big screen, and the BBC's modern take on the detective on the small screen, I've warmed to Sherlock quite a bit. As stories go, I was more interested in The Sign of the Four, which I read in July. But I have a growing appreciation for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his style of writing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
After finishing Doyle's book, I went on to a modern novella from Kady Cross, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne. I wrote a brief review of this one which I'll post in a few days. Suffice to say, I'm much more excited watching steam-punk than reading it. Perhaps it's just the kind of novels I've tried so far. I was quick to move on to something completely different, so I picked up The Talented Mr. Ripley. I'm finishing it up tonight, and feel much better about reading. Perhaps I'll even have enough excitement to go back to my book on Boss Tweed, which is fascinating but a bit laborious. It's just so long, and so heavily detailed. I started that book as research on a new story idea I've been working on the side. It's - no surprise - a steam-punk story, and a mystery at that. Seems that all my reading has been in a way research. Hopefully I'll want to read the story I write!
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