A Study in Scarlet (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
by Arthur Conan Doyle
ISBN: 0140439080

Price: USD 9.00
88 used & new available from USD 0.10

Dr. Watson agrees to share an apartment with Mr. Sherlock Holmes to save money. Soon he learns that Holmes is the only consulting detective in London and can make accurate logical deductions from even the smallest details. When a man is murdered and even Scotland Yard cannot find a clue, Holmes and Watson set out to untangle the threads and get to the bottom of the mystery, beginning the classic stories about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

This is undoubtedly an interesting story and a good mystery. There’s enough detail here that even though I’ve read it several times I still pick up on something new each time. You’ll find yourself trying to make Holmes’ deductions before he does as the plot thickens. I’ve marked this for advanced readers because the second half of the story is a bit disturbing, though not gruesome. An exciting introduction to one of literature’s greatest detectives.

The Lost World (Modern Library Classics) (Paperback)
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
ISBN: 0812967259

Price: USD 9.95
53 used & new available from USD 0.24

Ed Alalone, an English reporter, seeking to distinguish himself in the eyes of one Gladys Hungerton, goes in search of a dangerous adventure and winds up in the wilds of South America. He, two professors of science, and Lord John Roxton (big game hunter) are searching for a conjectured land — one that has been sheltered from outside influence time out of mind, and one where dinosaurs still exist.

And I’ll leave it at that. How to write a book summary in two sentences. On a serious note, though, I really enjoy this book. Granted, the whole thing is based off of the theory of evolution, but setting that aside, it’s great. Very interesting, some very funny parts, and a very large sprinkling of terror. (Imagine yourself in the dark jungle at night, no gun, and you start hearing stealthy noises behind you… Dinosaur noises… Get the picture?) Don’t read it at night and you’ll be fine. I also don’t recommend going outside at night after reading it and hearing the bushes rustle. Oh, and some of you may recognize Doyle as the author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.