Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins follows a tea shop owner in England and her excitable and cute talking Corgi Oliver. Yes. The dog talks.
I was a little leery of the book at first because I don’t usually read cozy mysteries with magical elements (except the Magical Flowe Shop Mysteries by Amanda Flower).
When I realized that only the main character Emma could understand Oliver I liked the idea a little bit better.
The talking dog doesn’t overshadow the story at all. In fact, it seems pretty natural to the entire book which otherwise is completely realistic and doesn’t feature supernatural or magical elements. I think it also helps that the dog talks like you might imagine a dog talks. He’s a smart dog but not too smart. He’s just smart enough to know that there’s certain things he should tell Emma that he’s seen or smelled but not smart enough that he’s the one solving the mysteries.
Everything he wants to say is exciting to him. So he’s not sitting there and talking like a proper gentleman you might say. He’s sort of adorable really.
The supporting characters in the book are plentiful and that can make things a little confusing at times. Sometimes I had to go back and remind myself who someone was. Emma either works with or knows all the characters in some capacity and even though the town is small there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of people who Emma interacted with throughout the book.
I can’t say any of the supporting characters were that memorable to me other than Oliver. The three women she spoke to most all sounded the same to me in my head. They were sort of interchangeable sounding boards for her, even though one was supposed to be her best friend and the others more like co-workers. They offered a way for Emma to work things out clues in her mind but I part of me feels a couple of them could have been removed and the story still could have carried on just as well. At the same time, having a lot of support rallying around the main character was nice as well.
To clarify – just because I thought some of the supporting characters could have been cut out, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the characters. I really liked the co-owner of the tea shop – Angelique – and her daughter Pearl but they weren’t super important to the plot for me, other than when Emma helped find some clues.
Emma’s friend Genny offered even more support but I lost track of what her job actually was — I think she owned a restaurant in town. It wasn’t really important to the plot.
I really enjoyed how this book was built around a festival celebrating author Daphne DuMaurier’s book Rebecca, which was made into a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The plot of that book/movie was skillfully tied into the mystery of this book, adding to the complexity of the plot. I was impressed with how much history the author knew about the DuMaurier and the area she lived in.
After a quick search online I learned there is a literary festival in Fowey, England that is inspired by DeMaurier, who wrote many books besides Rebecca.
Rebecca was, however, her most famous, partially because of the movie version of it.
I felt like the amount of red herrings thrown out in this one was enough to keep me guessing and second-guessing right up until the end. I had figured out the culprit toward the end but I still wanted to be sure and see how the author wrapped up how they committed the crime.
I would definitely read future books by this author.
Shaken by her parents’ divorce and discouraged by the growing chasm between herself and her serious boyfriend, Nikki Werner seeks solace at her uncle’s farm in a small Missouri hamlet. She’ll spend the summer there, picking up the pieces of her shattered present so she can plan a better future. But what awaits her at the ancestral farm is a past she barely knows.
Among her late grandmother’s belongings, Nikki finds an old notebook filled with handwritten German recipes and wise sayings pulled from the book of Proverbs. With each recipe she makes, she invites locals to the family table to hear their stories about the town’s history, her ancestors–and her estranged father.
What started as a cathartic way to connect to her heritage soon becomes the means through which she learns how the women before her endured–with the help of their cooking prowess. Nikki realizes how delicious streusel with a healthy dollop of faith can serve as a guide to heal wounds of the past.
MY THOUGHTS:
When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through. It wasn’t that the writing was bad, it was that it was a bit slower than other books I read. This isn’t a hard-hitting, fast-paced book, and that’s okay, but it was just not what I was used to. I kept going and before long the easy-going pace with detailed descriptions, paragraphs of deep thoughts, and messages grew on me. While the slower pace of the book isn’t a detriment to the story, I think it is an important observation to mention for those who prefer a story with a quicker pace. However, I would encourage those who aren’t usually into “slower” books to give this one a chance.
Even without adventure and action, this book is still capable of captivating the reader. Nikki grapples with the broken relationship with her father which leads to a broken relationship with her fiancé. The fiancé is not a major character in the book since he is thousands of miles away from where she is throughout most of the book.
Nikki is helped in this personal journey with wisdom passed down from her grandmother in a notebook full of personal observations and recipes. She receives further advice from her uncle whom she forms a sweet bond with as the story progresses. That bond helps her to learn not only about her uncle’s life journey, but also the life experiences that shaped her father and his actions.
I easily fell in love with Brunsvold’s characters, even though the main character was not really my favorite at first. In the beginning I found her actions to be selfish and childish but when I compared her reactions to some of my own reactions to past traumatic experiences in my life, I realized her reactions really were very realistic.
The characters who kept this story moving forward in a relatable way were the gentle uncle who wants to do all he can to help his niece and his brother heal their hearts; the spunky aunt/great aunt who adds both humor and spiritual depth; and the nurturing, supportive friend of the uncle who also becomes a friend of Nikki.
There is a bit of romance in the book, but it is not a plot driver. There are two romances and they are subplots meant to help the reader get to know the characters and their motivations better. The entire message of the book about forgiving others and ourselves for past mistakes wouldn’t entirely fall apart if either romance was removed, but the romances make the message even richer.
While I enjoyed both of the romance subplots, I was glad that the main plot dealt more with Nikki trying to come to terms with not only her father’s actions, but her reactions to what he did that led to the split of their family. This was a book that was about the baggage we bring with us through life and how if we don’t deal with the difficult things in that baggage, we will continue to hurt those around us.
Faith in God is the main foundation of this book. Not only do the characters attend church, but they have a personal relationship with Jesus. They ask for help from him and are guided by his message of forgiveness throughout the story. The cookbook that Nikki learns and cooks from is full of messages of how God works in our life. The messages in the cookbook provide a type of devotional within the book so it is almost as if The Divine Proverb of Streusel is two books in one.
This is a book I would not hesitate to recommend to others. It has an uplifting message, is void of swearing, sex, or violence, and weaves together the stories of characters who were so well developed it felt as if I knew them. It wasn’t until I had almost finished this review and was talking to my husband about a family situation that it hit me how much of an impression this book had made on me. It had been a couple of days since I had read it and yet it still had me thinking about how we forgive those who have hurt us when the person never offers an apology or even believes they did nothing wrong. Or maybe they do offer an apology but it is not in their words but in actions that we don’t feel are enough for us.
Maybe the person has passed away and we will never receive the apology we so craved. What do we do with that unresolved pain, the lack of closure? We can choose to hold on to bitterness or let it go and give it to God. This book is a reminder that even if the other person doesn’t meet us where we need them to, God always will.
I am a little late on this one but oh well. Life gets in the way of blogging. Gasp! I know. Shocking. *wink*
But seriously, I forgot that I wanted to write a post about what I read in April and what I “plan” on reading in May last week so I am doing it this week instead.
To explain, I always write what I plan to read in a certain month, but I almost never stick to my list of what I will read, as you can see if you ever look back on blog posts where I have shared what I plan to read.
First up, what I read in April:
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun
I offered a longer review of this on the blog yesterday. You can find that HERE.
The short version, though, is that I liked this book and it became one of my favorites of the series for the different version of Jim Qwilleran, the fact they were investigating the death of a close friend (which made me sad) and just the humor offered between Qwill and a child and then Qwill and his girlfriend Polly’s new kitten.
The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene
Oh Nancy Drew, I do love you.
Even though so much of these books are completely unbelievable and silly. I can’t help reading them, though, because even with some silly plot points mixed in, the overall plots actually do hold up and are interesting. The books are like fluffy Angel Food Cake. They just melt in your mouth – a quick and sweet treat that makes you roll your eyes and giggle and then reach for another one.
This one involved a mystery at an inn (obviously, by the title), Nancy’s identity being stolen, and missing jewels. And as always Carson Drew, Nancy’s father, gave her permission to chase after dangerous people and be nearly killed as long as she was “careful.”
A Troubling Case of Murder on the Menu by Donna Doyle
I shared a review of this one last week. It was cute and sweet without much bite or plot at all. And that was just fine with me. Sometimes we need something like that. The book was only about 100 pages and I’m sure I will read others in this cute and short series.
For a shortened version of the plot: a retired, older woman, decides to start blogging as a hobby to fill her days now that her husband has passed away. In the process of visiting restaurants to blog about them she stumbles onto a dead body. Emily Cherry is a cute main character and her supporting characters include curious cat Rosemary and her overprotective family and a good friend, Anita.
Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright
I did not like this book. Let’s just get that out of the way. I liked parts of it and it moved along fast to start with.
Then it got repetitive.
The main character lives in an inn that is known to be haunted and has a history of death. There is a cemetery behind the old Victorian-house that houses the inn. Her sister was found dead near the inn. She is surrounded by death and constantly feels like the bony fingers of death are strangling her (we are told this at the beginning and end of almost every chapter after all) and her life is sad and hopeless because of her sister’s death. She has become almost a recluse. We are reminded of all these things about ten to twenty times throughout the book – in case we forgot the other ten or twenty times it was mentioned.
This is a dual timeline book so there is a mystery in the past and that got a little weird for me because the girl in the past seemed to be falling in love with a married man or a murderer or … who even knows at some points which is the good part of the mystery.
I might have been able to push a 3.5 stars out for this one if it hadn’t been for the sick and twisted ending that made me want to throw up and gave me the ickiest feeling.
All of this might not have bothered me so much if it wasn’t for the book being promoted as Christian Fiction. I got scolded by a reader for having a long kiss but this book was demented and that same reader gushed over it. Christian readers can be really, really weird at times. Kissing bad. Demented murder and assault good. Ha. Ha. Weird, right?
The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold
This book was about a woman (Nikki) who finds out her father has cheated on her mother and is divorcing her and sort of has a mental breakdown.
Her entire foundation of what her family was and what love means is shaken. She is engaged to a man and worries the same could happen to their relationship one day. She takes off to her late grandmother’s house a couple of states away and stays with her uncle who she barely knows to try to find herself. Her uncle (who is her dad’s brother) is in the process of cleaning out his mother’s house. She finds an old cookbook filled with recipes but also wisdom and begins cooking her grandmother’s recipes as a way to distract herself. In the process she begins to learn about her family, including the difficult relationship that her father had with his father.
The bottom line is that I enjoyed this one and it had me thinking about it a couple days later even.
I will have a full review of it up tomorrow.
Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
This book follows the story of an Irish family who lost their parents a year before and are working hard to keep the family bistro/café running. The story is told from the perspective of Shioban O’Sullivan, the older sister who was going to go to college but couldn’t when her parents died and she was left to care for her siblings. While they are all trying to adjust to life without their parents, she walks downstairs one morning and finds a dead body in the bistro.
Shioban already has feelings for the Guarda (which is essentially a town cop in Ireland) and things get awkward when she decides she has to help solve the murder after her brother is accused.
I really enjoyed this one, which is the first in a series. The characters are either hilarious, sweet, or obnoxious in a good way and the Irish sense of humor is one I can relate to. There was some swearing in this one but no graphic violence or sex at all.
The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes
I read this middle-grade book in March and then read it again with Little Miss. The book is about Jane Moffat, the middle child in the Moffat family. She is a little girl who is being raised with her three other siblings by her mom. Her father has passed away.
The book begins with Jane deciding she would like to be introduced to people as The Middle Moffat. She meets the oldest inhabitant in town that day and a friendship forms when she slips and calls herself the Mysterious Middle Moffat. The oldest inhabitant is a 99-year-old Civil War veteran and thinks it is so funny that she calls herself mysterious and even when she tries to explain that she misspoke (she’d actually been trying to think of additional titles to add to the Middle Moffat) he continues to call her mysterious.
Each time he sees her he taps his nose and calls her mysterious. Jane, in turn, becomes concerned that something might happen to the man before he turns 100 and begins to try to protect him, including spending a day with him one day when it is really foggy because she is concerned he will walk out into the fog and be injured.
Each chapter is a type of story of it’s own, but there are always a few aspects that carry over, including the interactions with the oldest inhabitant.
We ended up reading this book around the same time as the solar eclipse and it worked out perfectly because there is also a chapter about Jane trying to see the solar eclipse with her friend Nancy. We also read a chapter about Jane having friend problems with Nancy around the same time Little Miss was having some issues with her friends.
There was only one chapter we didn’t like as much as felt like it dragged a bit.
I hope to read the other books in this series soon.
Coming up in May
I am already reading two books: Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey and Operation Rescue by Kari Trumbo.
Apple Cider Slaying is a cozy mystery.
I don’t know that I really want to read Operation Rescue, to be honest, but I agreed to read it to review for Clean Fiction Magazine so it may surprise me and become one I like. It is a Christian Fiction book about a rehab center for people who have been rescued from human trafficking and I think there is going to be some romance mixed in between staff at the rehab center – not with any of the victims who are there for healing, thankfully.
I am reading The Secret Garden with Little Miss and we will finish it this month because we are more than halfway through it already.
I also plan to read The Mysterious Affair of Styles by Agatha Christie. It is the first Hercule Poirot book.
I don’t know if I will get to other books this month since I am a slow reader and am also listening to Around the World in 80 Days on Audible with The Boy but other books, I have on my list this month or next are:
Lost Coast Literary by Ellie Alexander
The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe
Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly
The Women of Wyntons by Donna Mumma
The Real James Herriott by Jim Wight
And
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Right before I published this, though, Little Miss and I went to the library and I picked up The Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski and Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes so those two will probably get bumped in front of some of those in the above list.
How was your reading in April and do you have ideas of what you will read in May or will you just figure it out as you go (which is what I will probably do in the end because I am such a mood reader).
It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, whatthe rest of the familyand I have been reading and watching, andwhat I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.
Yesterday I woke up with insane sinus pressure. More than I have had in a long time. It hurt so bad I couldn’t smile or show much emotion so I think my family thought I was mad at them all day. I had to keep explaining about how bad it hurt and that it wasn’t them. This time anyhow. Ha!
I don’t know if it is an actual sinus infection or if it is just because of allergies, the temperature drop yesterday and the rain today. Whatever it is, it stinks, but hopefully it will clear up later this week.
Little Miss had a couple of friends over and they played all around outside, briefly at the playground, and inside. After they went home we watched the movie Migration as a family.
Today, if I can get off this couch after I finish this blog post, we will have lunch at my parents. If not I will just sit here and whine for the rest of the day while sipping tea.
What I/we’ve been Reading
Currently:
Apple Cider Slaying by Jennifer Anne Lindsey
Description:
Blossom Valley, West Virginia, is home to Smythe Orchards, Winnie and her Granny’s beloved twenty-five-acre farm and family business. But any way you slice it, it’s struggling. That’s why they’re trying to drum up business with the “First Annual Christmas at the Orchard,” a good old-fashioned holiday festival with enough delicious draw to satisfy apple-picking locals and cider-loving tourists alike—until the whole endeavor takes a sour turn when the body of Nadine Cooper, Granny’s long-time, grudge-holding nemesis, is found lodged in the apple press. Now, with Granny the number one suspect, Winnie is hard-pressed to prove her innocence before the real killer delivers another murder . . .
I’m also reading The Secret Garden which I am reading aloud to Little Miss.
Just Finished:
Murder Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins (will have a review up soon).
I was surprised to find the audiobook for this available for free on Amazon this week when I went to purchase a copy of a book for a friend. I downloaded it and it helped me get through it a little faster as I listened to it while driving to pick up groceries on Friday and yesterday while puttering around the house with the aforementioned sinus pressure. Most of the time I read it though because I found the narrator a little annoying. She made every character sound afraid no matter what they were saying. It was weird. I read the last few chapters instead of listening to it.
Soon to be read:
Operation Restoration by Kari Trumbo
The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe
Lost Coast Literary by Ellie Alexander
The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father by Jim Wight
What We watched/are Watching
This week I watched Booktubers, as they are called, and mainly those who read cozy mysteries. I gleaned a lot of book suggestions from those videos.
I didn’t watch other shows except for an episode of Midsomer Murders with The Husband because it was nice out and I mainly read a book outside on the back porch. What I’m Writing
I am listening to Around the World in 80 Days on Audible.
I do not like the song Angels by Sarah McClaulin (spelling) at all since it has been so overplayed, but just heard a version by David Phelps and liked it a lot more with his arrangement.
Photos from Last Week
Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week
Now it’s your turn
Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
Thank you to Erin at Still Life with Cracker Crumbs for this very nice review of Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage. Be sure to follow Erin for book reviews and chats about everyday life and stories about her family and adventures in Michigan!
Today I thought I would reintroduce the books I have written since 2019.
I am leaving out my first two books since I hope to rework them soon.
The Farmer’s Daughter
Will the desire to change their lives bring two people together and will the Tanner family be able to save their family farm?
Molly Tanner thought she’d be further in life by now, but, no. At the age of 26, still living on her parent’s dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania, wondering if there is a life for her somewhere other than little Spencer Valley. While wondering, though, her family faces financial struggles, her best friend falls into a deep depression, and her brother’s best friend starts acting weird around her. Weird as in — is attractive Alex Stone flirting with her?
Alex has his own challenges to face, mainly facing past demons that make him feel like he’s not worthy of the love the Tanner family has already shown him, let alone the love of the woman he’s fallen for while working side-by-side with her in the barn each day.
Can she forgive him for what he can’t forget? The last year has been a whirlwind of trials and triumphs for the Tanner family.
With injuries, near foreclosures, and a family tragedy behind them, Jason Tanner, the oldest of the Tanner children is facing his own struggle after his longtime girlfriend, Ellie Lambert, overhears the secret he’d planned to tell her himself. Now, in addition to trying to keep his family’s dairy farm sustainable during a hard economic season, Jason is dealing with the heartbreak of Ellie’s decision to end an almost 10-year relationship.
In an effort to bury his feelings, he throws himself into his work on the farm and into volunteering with Spencer Valley’s small volunteer fire company, where tragedy strikes the foundation of his faith during an already vulnerable time.
Ellie has her own challenges to face as she tries to navigate a time of life where her expectations have been turned upside down and shaken out. As she copes with the decision to walk away from her relationship with the man she saw as her best friend, her flighty, less responsible younger sister shows up to further complicate an already complicated situation.
After becoming pregnant by her abusive ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Liz Cranmer feels trapped in a prison of shame. Now a single mother she feels like the whole town, especially her church-going parents, view her as a trashy woman with no morals. That’s not how she used to think of herself but — could they all be right? And if they think that, then what does God think of her?
Ginny Jefferies, 53, has hit a few snags of her own in life. Her husband, Stan, barely acknowledges her, her job as the town’s library director has become mundane and stagnant, and her youngest daughter is having some kind of identity crisis. Pile on the return of a former boyfriend and you have the makings of a near-midlife crisis.
Can the two women figure out their chaotic, confusing lives together? And how will the men in their lives fit in their journey?
Beauty From Ashes is a Spencer Valley Chronicles book.
When two recovering alcoholics’ worlds collide, can they work together to leave their pasts behind?
Ben Oliver walked away from his ex-girlfriend, Angie, the moment he found out she was pregnant. Back then, a career was more important than anything.
That was four years ago. Now Ben is sober, but he’s kept away from Angie and their daughter, convinced they are better off without him. When her family moves back to the area, though, his past catches up with him.
Judi Lambert has battled her own demons. Now she’s trying to kick her party-girl lifestyle to the curb. Not far into the journey to get her life back on track, though, she’s forced to relive a traumatic experience and begins developing a relationship with an old flame.
Christmas has come to Spencer Valley and Robert and Alex are busy trying to pull of some big surprises for the women they love. If only life didn’t try to keep getting in the way and messing up their plans. Will they be able to finish their Christmas surprises in time and will there be a Christmas proposal for one of the characters from the small town readers have fallen in love with?
A little bit of mystery, a dash of romance, and a whole lot of heart
After being laid off from her job as a librarian at a small college, Gladwynn Grant isn’t sure what her next step in life is. When a job as a small-town newspaper reporter opens up in the town her grandmother Lucinda Grant lives in, she decides to take it to get away from a lot of things – Bennett Steele for one.
Lucinda has been living alone since Gladwynn’s grandfather passed away six years ago and she isn’t a take-it-easy, rock-on-your-front-porch kind of grandma. She’s always on the go and lately, she’s been on the go with a man who Gladwynn doesn’t know.
Gladwynn thought Brookstone was a small, quiet town, but within a few days of being there, she has to rethink that notion. Someone has cut the bank loan officer’s brakes, threatening letters are being sent, and memories of a jewelry theft from the 1990s have everyone looking at the cold case again.
What, if anything, will Gladwynn uncover about her new hometown and her grandmother’s new male friend? And what will she do about her grandmother’s attempt to set her up with the handsome Pastor Luke Callahan?
Find out in this modern mystery with a vintage feel.
More mystery, intrigue, and loveable characters in Brookstone, Pa.
Gladwynn Grant hasn’t been living in Brookstone, Pa. very long but already she’s been mixed up in two attempted murders and the aftermath of a jewel theft.
Just when she thinks life has settled down and her new job as a small-town reporter will begin to be routine again, the recreational director at the local retirement community is found dead.
Was Samantha Mors death an accident, or was it murder?
Since she was the second person to discover her body, Gladwynn wants to find out what really happened.
Local State Police Detective Tanner Kinney lets her know that her job is reporting the news, not investigating a possibly suspicious death. The father she barely speaks to stops for a visit and also urges her to not get involved.
When warnings to stay away from the case come from handsome pastor Luke Callahan Gladwynn wonders if he knew the victim better than he is letting on.
Quieting her inner sleuth will prove difficult for Gladwynn, though, especially when her eccentric grandmother Lucinda, and best friend, Abbie, tag along to help her solve the case.
When you think of Sherlock Holmes there may be a certain image that comes to your mind if you’ve only read the books but if you’ve watched any of the television or movie portrayals of him then a certain actor may come to mind.
For me, there are two actors – Jeremy Brett and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Others may think of Basil Rathbone or – and I cringe even saying this one – Robert Downey Jr.
No offense to those who like Robert as Sherlock but…he’s not Sherlock to me at all. He’s … well, Tony Stark or just Robert Downey Jr. being Robert Downey Jr.
To each our own though.
My husband is the one who introduced me to Sherlock Holmes and to Jeremy Brett portraying Sherlock Holmes in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
My husband is a Holmes connoisseur of sorts and in addition to Brett, he is also a fan of the Basil Rathbone version of Sherlock.
Full confession time: I have not read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever read one in full. I have listened to them and to radio dramas of them and I have seen shows based on them. I have also read Moriarity by Anthony Horowitz, which is one of two books he wrote about Sherlock with the permission of the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle.
I hope to delve into the short stories in May or June.
Based on the stories I have heard and partially read, though, Jeremy Brett truly is the embodiment of Sherlock. His mix of seriousness and humor. His brash laughter. His borderline manic excitement when he’s found a clue or close to solving a case. His expressions convey so much in a simple eye roll or smirk.
Jeremy Brett played Sherlock Holmes from 1984 to 1994 in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Some Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts declare him the definitive Holmes – at least when it comes to the classic Sherlock Holmes portrayals. There is, of course, Benedict as the more modern “Sherlock.” He has been claimed by younger Sherlock Holmes fans as the best Sherlock and I don’t deny his version is excellent, but it’s not necessarily how Sherlock is in the books. That isn’t a bad thing, of course. Benedict’s version is his interpretation of the genius detective and I love it, but what I am talking about is the “classic 1880s to early 1900s” Sherlock.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ran from 1984 to 1994 and presented all 56 short stories and four novels by Doyle. David Burke portrayed Dr. Watson in the show until 1985 and then Edward Hardwick took over in 1986 and carried on from there. Rosalie Williams portrayed Mrs. Hudson.
According to an article from The Telegraph, Brett fought hard to make sure the show kept close to the source and insisted on using Arthur Conan Doyle’s original dialogue. When it was once suggested that a non-Doyle novel was used, Brett refused, supposedly saying, “No, I’m not doing anything that isn’t pure Doyle!”
Bretts originally hesitated to take on the role because he had played happier characters on the stage in My Fair Lady and The Three Musketeers and in the movie version of My Fair Lady. I was surprised to see this week that he played Freddie Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady.
Brett didn’t feel he could bring anything to the role after Basil Rathbone played Homes in 14 films between 1939 and 1946.
It was a trip to Barbados that gave him time to read the novels and short stories. He said if he did take on the role, he did not want to change Doyle’s original intentions or words. He took meticulous notes on Holmes’ mannerisms and online sources say he referred to all 80 pages of those notes during filming.
“I think the character of Sherlock Holmes is frankly inhuman,” Gus Holwerda, who hosts the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Podcast with his brother, Luke, told The Telegraph in 2021. “Jeremy was a ‘becomer’, as he would say – a method actor [‘Try to become the creature and erase yourself,’ Brett once said]. Becoming such a heavy and challenging character is a feat that few actors would have seriously attempted. Fans of the show appreciate the enterprise, and the toll it took on him.”
Brett, who was born Peter Jeremy William Huggins in 1933, immersed himself in the character. Some say almost too much. If a person hasn’t read the Holmes short stories they may not be aware of the darker elements of the character – his depression, mood swings, and opium/cocaine/morphine addiction. Some articles online say that Brett, being a method actor in many ways, pulled some of those darker elements into his own personality. Though I didn’t read that he had any drug addictions he did deal with bipolar disorder and then heart problems later in life.
To Brett, no screenwriter could outwrite Doyle, which was why he insisted on keeping the stories so close to the source material and even used Doyle’s dialogue himself.
As for who presents the best portrayal of Sherlock?
Brett himself believed the best Sherlock in the eye of the reader so to speak:
“I’ve done 33 Sherlock Holmes stories and bits of them are all right. But the definitive Sherlock Holmes is really in everyone’s head. No actor can fit into that category because every reader has his own ideal.”
Have you seen Brett’s portrayal of Sherlock? Or any others that you enjoyed? Let me know in the comments. Even if it is Robert Downey Jr. *wink*
(Note: You can find The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on Amazon/Britbox but you can also find some episodes for free on YouTube.)
Today I am hoping on to Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. Today’s topic is top ten books on your shelf you want to read soon. Some of these books are on my physical shelf and some are in digital form on my Kindle, or if they aren’t, they will be.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
2. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (my son and I read The Fellowship of the Rings last year and The Hobbit a few years ago for school so now I want to read this one)
3. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
4. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
5. Crooked House by Agatha Christie
6. James Herriott: A Memoir of My Father by Jim Wight.
7. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (this would actually be a reread for me since I read it when I was like 10 but don’t remember a lot of it.)
8. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
9. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
10. The Complete Father Brown Collection by G.K. Chesterton.
It was hard to find ten books at first and then it was hard to narrow it down as I thought of a few others as I got toward the end.
Have you read some of these or are they on your list?
It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, whatthe rest of the familyand I have been reading and watching, andwhat I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.
I wrote about what’s been going on in yesterday’s post so I won’t repeat it. You can pop over to that post if you want to catch up.
What I/we’ve been Reading
Currently:
I was looking for a comfort read last week and looked to see if I had any The Cat Who books on Kindle that I hadn’t read yet. I ended up finding one – The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts – and I think I never read it because I started it and it started in first person and I am used to the books in the series being in third person so I put it aside. The POV actually switches back to the third person and so far has been one of my favorite books, even though one of my favorite characters was killed off. There are some very funny lines in it and more of Qwill’s personality of being wary around children and women who talk to their pets like children.
I absolutely laughed out loud at these parts:
Before he could reply with a stiff “How do you do,” the parents had spotted the Lanspeaks and descended on them, leaving him with Baby. She looked up in wonder at his moustache and said in her clear, precise speech, “What’s that thing on your face?”
“That’s my nose,” said Qwilleran. “Doesn’t your father have a nose?”
“Yes, he has a nose.”
“How about your mother? Does she have a nose?”
“Everybody has a nose,” said Baby with disdain, as if dealing with a dolt.
“Then you should recognize a nose when you see one.”
Baby was not fazed by his evasive logic. “Where do you work?” she asked.
And
All of this he could understand, and he could handle it, but her gushing over the kitten was more than he could stomach. There would be no more relaxing country weekends at Polly’s cottage with just the two of them— reading Shakespeare aloud and playing music—not while Bootsie diffused her attention. Bootsie! It was a vile name for a Siamese, Qwilleran insisted.”
Qwill can be such an elitist and in his case I love it.
I’m also reading The Secret Garden but I’ve paused my own reading of it and have started reading it with Little Miss. So far she’s really enjoying it.
I started The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliff as well. I just started it but it’s okay so far.
Just Finished:
Last week I finished The Divine Proverb of the Streusel by Sara Brunsvold and I really enjoyed it. I will have a review of it up next week.
Soon to be read:
Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins
Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly
What We watched/are Watching
This week I watched some Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, All Creatures Great and Small, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
What I’m Writing
I am working on the latest Gladwynn Grant mystery and having fun trying to figure out what direction I want to take the story. I’m hoping for a subplot related to Gladwynn’s ancestors.
I let my daughter in on the brainstorming and she suggested that someone in the Grant family line be an assassin. I was a bit stunned since I write cozy, light mysteries and told her that.
Then The Boy got in on the action and suggested that her ancestors be involved in human trafficking.
Needless to say, I will not be taking any more advice from my children.
This week I also announced that Cassie, the book that is part of the Apron Strings Book Series is up for pre-order. You can find it HERE.
Here is a description: One cookbook connects them all… Cassie ~ Book Eight in a string of heartfelt inspirational stories, featuring different women throughout the decades from 1920 to 2020.
Cassie Drake starred in a popular sitcom over a decade ago, but she hasn’t been able to find a job since the show ended five years ago.
Now it’s 1995 and fired by her talent agency, Cassie decides to accept her sister’s offer for an extended visit in their hometown. Back in Coopers Grove, she’s just Cassie Mason, sister to Bridget Martin, the local volunteer extraordinaire with the handsome husband and three wonderful children.
When an accident at the site for the Martin family’s new café and farm store leaves Bridget frantic for help with the community center open house she’s planning, Cassie feels forced to step up—even though it involves something she’s clueless about.
Cooking.
Even with Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book, Cassie fails at every attempt. Fortunately, her sister’s handsome neighbor, Alec Alderson, steps in.
As a former chef, he’s more than capable of giving her some tips. Will his charming smile during cooking lessons be too distracting though?
Watching others use their talents leaves Cassie wondering if God, whom she’s barely spoken to in the last few years, is telling her she was made for more than the career that became her identity.
I am currently listening to Watership Down and Around the World in 80 Days on Audible.
For music, I am listening to a variety of artists from Needtobreathe to early Mumford and Sons, The Civil Wars, and Danny Gokey.
Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
