GuardedLegacy > Recent Status Updates

Returning to finish Helmer's Son, after finishing the rest of the Green Ember series.

Finished the first story, The Lost Key, although it feels incomplete. For a side story set early in the timeline, but written after the main Green Ember books, this focuses too much on action and drops the ball on successfully telling complete a story.

Interesting story, but some parts seem to skip around too much, as though a panel or two is missing in a conversation. Either that, or the dialogue is really odd from time to time.

I tried to start this, but after less than 30 minutes, I decided I couldn't mentally process the contents of the book at the time. I went back to Sherlock Holmes. I'll try this one again later.

Finished book 3, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, on 2024 Dec 02. Taking a break again to listen to some books coming available in Libby. I shall return.

Finished A Case of Identity a few days ago and The Boscombe Valley Mystery last night.

Finished with part 1. I still hate how they split this into 2 parts. I have ~12 weeks to wait for party 2 to become available at my library.

Finished The Redheaded League a few days ago (Wed, Nov 13) and moved on to the dramatized Golden Son part 1.

Today, I listened to book 3 part 1, A Scandal in Bohemia.

I have lost my book. :( No idea what I did with it. Searched the whole house, the car, asked if I returned to the library by accident. No idea where I put it. In early August I was in the middle of the Mooses with Bazookas chapter/part of the book. I'm not sure if I lost it before or after we went on vacation to Wisconsin.

Yesterday, I finished book 2, The Sign of Four. I don't like Sherlock's use of drugs to cope with his boredom. Otherwise, it was a great follow-up to A Study in Scarlet. The romance with Mary was a bit sudden, but maybe that's how romance worked two centuries ago. With classics like this, it makes sense that modern society should be disillusioned with the efforts involved in building a lasting relationship.

Beginning on 2024-09-05 and continuing part 2 of A Study In Scarlet. I had stopped previously, thinking it was a completely separate story that took place in America. I realize now, I was mistaken, and it was filling in the backstory for several chapters.

Finished Study in Scarlett part 1

Okay, finally available on Libby again. Excitedly diving back in.

I keep losing track of where I am for Beanstack time logging. 2024-06-24 starting on Creative Taxidermy ch 15.

Is it done yet? It seems like maybe I'm just about to learn why this book exists (the problem). I listened through 5 years of magical college in 9 hours and 45 minutes and I still don't care about any of the characters. Q could die right now and Julia could become the main and I wouldn't care. What's up with that?

Available in Libby again. Picking back up at the start of chapter 18 today.

Was about 90% through the book when it was returned to Libby on June 5. I will finish it when it becomes available again

Finally caught up again. I've been a few days behind for a couple months.

A day behind. I still need to read April 1 and 2 (today) to catch up.

Ugh... I like the concept of Antifragility, but this book is all over the place. In the intro, the author posits that students writing a thesis for a degree have to use approved, library references, but since he is experienced and not writing for educators, he claims he can shoot from the hip--so to speak. Well... the chaotic spray of bullets shows in his "holier than thou" attitude and writing.

Interesting laws today in Exodus 22. Curious what the root translation of "daylight" is in verse 3. In 23:13 "Do not even speak their names."

I really like this book. Adam has some great points, but falls flat here and there. I don't think I liked chapter 3 very much, and although chapter 5 made some good points, the debate used as an example for most of the chapter just feels like fluff to me. I did, however, love the summary at the end of chapter 5. The start of chapter 6 is very intriguing.

"She looks like a man snatcher."
I can't tell if I love this or hate it! Her reactions are so intense and illogical. Maybe it's the narration that makes this line so fantastic. All the while, the friend in front of you can't remember what happened 5 minutes ago due to a serious head injury that's probably killing him... But no! It's more important to be angry about good news that happened months ago. Tally-ho

This book started kind of slow, but developed okay. The story drags on way too long in the middle, but finally began to pick up. I quite dislike the main character. The story is ridiculously predictable until an outlandishly absurd twist comes along just as I'm getting overwhelmed by the stupidity and melodrama. Overall pacing is just too slow. I'm not sure I want to finish the series, but I'll see how this one ends.