Sherlock

Admittedly I came into this fandom when Guy Ritchie made Sherlock Holmes in 2009. I had prior knowledge, of course, but never really sank my teeth in until that movie. I was drawn to the way he processes information, his wit, his friendship with John Watson and how that friendship is maintained throughout the story. The vintage setting and film score didn’t hurt either.

And then…Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffatt went and made a BRILLIANT TV show starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman and my mere fan status went into downright obsession. I thought taking ‘him’ out of old London would ruin it for me but I quickly realized it was Sherlock/Watson that I liked and as long as they were portrayed then the setting didn’t really matter.

It wasn’t until I was a guest on the Sherlock panel at a local convention last year that I realized I might be missing out by not getting to know the originally written Sherlock. As a fan of the show and movies only, my perspective was valued and respected but I heard what the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fans were saying.

All of the above mentioned has lead to something I am absolutely STOKED about!

For months I have been wanting to do another reading challenge. After multiple attempts to keep from jumping in and out of books, I have realized a little planning and a little goal setting go a long way with me.

Funny enough, I was at the same convention I mentioned earlier a few weeks ago and got my hands on something that made the final decision for me…

©CandiceC

This handmade journal from the ladies at Artsyology101 is stuffed FULL of fun pages to write on, trinkets to find and places to hide secrets. When I flipped through it, I knew that I had to fill it’s entirety with Sherlock reads.

So, after a bit more planning and a few shipments from our friends at Titan Books , I am ready to start my Summer of Sherlock.

©CandiceC

In coordination with the title, I plan to read various Sherlock titles from the first day of Summer (June 22nd) through the first day of Fall (September 22nd).

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes.

Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.

An imaginative, irreverent and addictive reimagining of the world’s favourite detective, Warlock Holmes retains the charm, tone and feel of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while finally giving the flat at 221b Baker Street what it’s been missing for all these years: an alchemy table.

Reimagining six stories, this riotous mash-up is a glorious new take on the ever-popular Sherlock Holmes myth, featuring the vampire Inspector Vladislav Lestrade, the ogre Inspector Torg Grogsson, and Dr. Watson, the true detective at 221b. And Sherlock. A warlock.

It is 1895, and Sherlock Holmes’s new client is a High Court judge, whose free-spirited daughter has disappeared without a trace.

Holmes and Watson discover that the missing woman—Hannah Woolfson—was herself on the trail of a missing person, her close friend Sophia. Sophia was recruited to a group known as the Elysians, a quasi-religious sect obsessed with Ancient Greek myths and rituals, run by the charismatic Sir Philip Buchanan. Hannah has joined the Elysians under an assumed name, convinced that her friend has been murdered. Holmes agrees that she should continue as his agent within the secretive yet seemingly harmless cult, yet Watson is convinced Hannah is in terrible danger. For Sir Philip has dreams of improving humanity through classical ideals, and at any cost…

The aristocratic Charles Bromley arrives at 221B Baker Street to beg SHERLOCK HOLMES for his help. Bromley believes that his wife is in danger, as she has refused an offer to sell the Moonstone, a fabulous diamond that has been in her family for generations but which is said to be cursed. When a jeweller is found murdered, it seems as if the Moonstone deserves its reputation. Then the diamond is stolen, and Holmes must try to unravel a mystery centuries in the making.

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most iconic and lasting figures in literature. His feats of detection are legendary, and he continues to capture audiences today in stories, movies, and on TV. In this new anthology, Baker Street Irregulars, authors present the celebrated detective in more than a dozen wildly entertaining new ways. In Ryk Spoor’s thrilling “The Adventures of a Reluctant Detective,” Sherlock is a re-creation in a holodeck. In Hildy Silverman’s mesmerizing “A Scandal in the Bloodline,” Sherlock is a vampire. Heidi McLaughlin sends Sherlock back to college, while Beth Patterson, in the charming “Code Cracker,” turns him into a parrot. The settings range from Russia in the near-future to a reality show, from a dystopian world to an orchestra. Without losing the very qualities that make Sherlock so illustrious a character, these authors spin new webs of mystery around their own singular riff on one of fiction’s truly singular characters.

©CandiceC

I used the first page and insert from the journal to map out my plan. *I don’t know if I will be able to make journal entries with the calligraphy pen the entire time, because it can be messy, but I’ll use it as long as I can keep it neat.* When I was gifted this journal I was instructed to make use of every single thing in it.

On page one I have my very basic outline:

22, June ~ 6, July Starting with classic Sherlock with A Study in Scarlet. It’s 14 Chapters and I want to get it done in two week so I am basically reading a chapter a day to start.

7, July ~ 22, July, Warlock Holmes starts with the 14 chapter story, A Study in Brimstone, so I thought it would make a nice (though drastically different) transition.

23, July ~ 22, August, The Labyrinth of Death. It is 38 Chapters and the longest selection so I am giving myself 4 weeks to complete it.

23, August ~ 6, September, The Moonstone’s Curse. This one looked to be a quick read so I am back to the 14 day time frame.

7, September ~ 22, September, Baker Street Irregulars. This is a short story collection so I felt it best to end with it. I plan to read as many of the stories as I can get through in the last 14 days.

The seemingly burned piece of paper is where I mapped what my reading intensity will be. **If I read faster through faster than expected, I plan to fill the extra space with another classic Sherlock adventure.**

The little pink sticker that says ‘valuable package’ is where I wrote my goal completion prize…a Sherlock and/or Watson Funko Pop, of course 😉