Volume I of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When the police are baffled, people of every kind of social status come to the amazing Sherlock Holmes. WIth his extraordinary knowledge of tobacco kinds, gossip, the London underground, and other miscellaneous areas, he catches his victim nearly every time. WIth the help of his faithful companion, Watson, he unravels the mysteries of A Study in Scarlet, The Five Orange Pips, The Yellow Face, and The Speckled Band. All are told by Watson.

Very good. It is amazing that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could think of these things! I mean, telling that shots were not suicidal and murderous and that the lady is not lying by the fact that there is a third bullet in the wall, knowing what a man looks like by the distance of his footsteps from each other, on and on! A few things that annoyed me, though: the stories were not arranged in any chronological order, and there were allusions to cases that were not in the book. Maybe they're in volume two.

What kind of name is Sherlock Holmes?!
A pretty cool one.

Silas Marner by George Elliot

Silas Marner is cast out of his brotherhood after being falsely accused of killing the deacon and stealing church money. He goes to Ravloe and is known there as being the odd old weaver from somewhere else. He is very rich after fifteen years in Raveloe, and every night he counts his golden guineas. But on Christmas Eve he finds gold of a different sort: Eppie.

Good. Elliot (who was really a woman)describes Marner perfectly: before Eppie, he is a nearsighted, shrunken man with a sallow face and suspicious eyes, then he regains some vision and straightens up and smiles more. It is obvious that Eppie is good for him. That helps you get mad at Godfrey later. It all fits!

I have discovered the uses of the colon, and found that I like it a lot.

Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson

Three women who live on an island have a scary thought: if tree frogs and rainforests can become extinct, why not them? And if they become extinct, what will happen to all the things on the island? For there are a lot of strange things there- mermaids, stoorworms, boobries, and a selkie. So they kidnap three children (but one wasn't supposed to be kidnapped) to help them. Fabio and Minette learn how to de-oil the mermaids, take care of the boobrie, and feed the baby seals. It is because of them that the kraken comes, bringing his son to leave with them. The Great London Aunt Hunt has begun to search for the kidnappers. This becomes a very bad thing, but you have to read the book. It's very good, don't worry.

I like the humor. It's British, which is much better than American. She says funny things, like the extinction idea, which is probable, only we don't say extinction; and they are British, so they call the bathroom the loo, which is a ridiculous word. I like Herbert. Selkies aren't used in stories enough. He's not a Herbert, though. He needs a more interesting name. Herbert is what you name a bystander who doesn't do much.

I have a goal: I will beat Christopher Paolini and publish a book before he did. This is a goal that goes along with getting a Newfoundland and owning a bookmark from every country.
Good, huh?

1776 by David McCullough

1776: This is the story of the Revolutionary War's first year. General George Washington led his army through glorious victories and humiliating defeats. He crossed rivers three times, twice out from under the noses of the British. Henry Knox performed the feat declared impossible- hauling fifty cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in the dead of winter. Nathanael Greene, a Quaker made general in his thirties, won great battles, as did the British general William Howe. This war shaped America.

Very good, but a little confusing. Washington crossed three rivers, and each time I thought it was the Delaware. That was the last. I had never heard of a lot of the battles and people, so Greene and Knox were nice surprises. Recommended

catching up with one thing to catch up on over the past month?!

The Ledgend of the Celtinc Stone by Michael Phillips

The ancient Stone of Scone has been stolen from right under the noses of everyone in London. The leader of a Parliament faction has been murdered. No one knows the culprits. Andrew Trentham and Patricia (Paddy) Rawlings are taken on a roundabout search for the Stone, discovering along the way Scotch roots, the murderer, and other interesting things.

Cool. I enjoyed the stories about Genevra and Wanderer and Foltlaig. They made sense (but maybe only because I don't know much Celt history), and it was nice to hear about old civilizations that not many people think much about.
As you have probably guessed, this is historical fiction (or factual fantasy (or improbable history))
Double parentheses. I've always wanted to do that. I'm not quite sure if I used it right, though. Oh, well.

Did any of that make any sense?

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Read How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill.

Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

Rose Campbell comes to the Aunt-hill tired and sick. Her guardian, uncle Alec, decides to make her a healthy young woman. Except his idea of a fashionable lady is rather different than most peoples.

Okay. It wasn't as good as Little Woman. It didn't have enough of a story.

Going to Missouri!

a very cool word

I was looking for a synonym of 'ring' in the thesaurus, and I found the neatest word I've heard in a long time:
TINTINNBULATE!
v. to ring or sound a bell.
From Latin, tintinnabulum, 'small bell'. (How we got to ring the bell out of simply 'bell', I don't know)
You can look it up.

Luther the Reformer: the story of the man and his career by James M. Kittleson

Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. His birth was so unknown that later he and some of his friends debated the date. He began school intending to be a lawyer, but after a few years vowed to become a monk. He was not a very happy monk, feeling weighed down by his sin. The Catholic procedures didn't seem to help. So he began to think, and slowly he thought of revolutinary ideas that led to the posting of The 95 Theses. Soon the whole Roman Empire had heard of him, and he was summoned to various councils, diets, and meetings. He wrote books on the demonic qualities of the pope and the Roman Church, the sins of indulgences and confessionals, and the need for a new church. He firmly stood by his beliefs to his death in1547. He was born an unknown pauper and died well-off and was mourned all across the Empire.

Good. It was easy to read, but also gave a pretty thorough background of his beliefs. It probably wouldn't be enough information for die-hard Lutherans, but it was good enough for me. I now know a lot more than I did, which was the point.

Apparently Happy needs to be potty-trained again. Yuk.

Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip

Rois Melior has always wandered freely through the wood by her house. One day she meets Corbet Lynn. Soon rumors begin to fly about him. His father murdered his grandfather, and his grandfather's last words were supposedly a curse. Rois is curious, and begins looking for clues. She findes herself caught in a whirlwind of curses, the past, and the cruel winter.

Good. It's scary in a nice, shivery way. It's a little confusing because there's a lot of stuff going on, but you'll figure it out.

story part IV

Suddenly Bran was standing alone in a gray clearing, looking at a smooth rock. The cave had vanished. He went home wondering about his father. He tried to ask Gwen over dinner.
“Mother, I...I was wondering about my father. Please tell me about him.”
Gwen turned white. “He died,” she said thickly. “He’s dead. Leave the dead alone!”
“But-”
“No! I will not talk about him!”
Bran angrily got up from his chair and strode out the door. He walked aimlessly for a while, forgetting the cold in the heat of his anger. Sigurd had said that part of his quest was to find out about his father. Maybe his mother could not tell because of Sigurd. It would not be very hard to find out if his mother sat down and told him. No, he would have to find it from another source. He went back to the cottage and climbed in bed.
He and Rhys spent a lot of time together. They flew Kirsa, walked in the forest, sometimes Rhys would come to the moor and keep Bran company as he watched the sheep, or Bran would help Rhys on the farm. Their mothers got to know each other, and sometimes did laundry together. Rhys had two little sisters that he often had to watch. Bran had none and enjoyed watching their antics.
One time all four went out together to hunt for berries. Suddenly the oldest, Eira, came running toward them. Her normally pale complexion was ashen.
“Enid’s fallen in the river!” she gasped. “She can’t swim!”
The boys ran to the water, and scanned it for the girl.
“There!” cried Rhys, already jumping in. Bran ran down the river. He had a piece of cord in his pocket. Tying it around first a thick tree and then his waist, he too plunged in. He had had very little experience with swimming, and was thankful that the rope was strong. Rhys had spent some time in a nearby pond, and had already reached Enid. He struggled to get out of the currant. Bran stretched and grabbed his hand. Praying that the rope would hold, he pulled them in.
All were sopping and shivering and coughing, but for some reason elated. Bran wondered if Sigurd had had something to do with it. It was a miracle that little Enid had lasted so long in the roiling water that the rope had not snapped, that he had been able to reach Rhys. And indeed, he heard a rustling of a cloak and saw a flash of white hair.
Rhys gathered the frightened Enid into his arms and they walked back to the village. Rhys’ mother, Rhian, was working in the field as they approached. She was working vigorously with the hoe, and perspiration beaded her forehead. She looked up; saw the shivering children and Enid lying in Rhys’ arms. She gasped and ran forward.
“What happened? Enid, darling, are you all right?”
“She fell in the river,” said Bran as Rhian scooped up the girl. “I think she’s all right.”
And indeed, Enid looked fine. “Mother! I fell in the river! Rhys and Bran got me out all right, but I lost my bracelet Eira made.”
“Come inside,” said Rhian, “You must get dry else you’ll catch cold. Never mind the bracelet, Enid.”
“Thank you, mistress, but I should get home,” said Bran. “I’ll see you soon!”