Tag: Enola Holmes

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Case of the Missing Marquess

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

First line: The only light struggles from the few gas street-lamps that remain unbroken, and from pots of fire suspended above the cobblestones, tended by old men selling boiled sea snails outside the public houses.

Summary: Enola Holmes, the younger sister of famed detective Sherlock Holmes, has lived her life on the family estate with only her mother as a companion. However, on her 14th birthday her mother mysteriously disappears leaving Enola to wonder what has happened to her. Using the clues left by her mother, she eludes her brother’s plans and escapes to London in search of her.

Along the way, she becomes embroiled in the case of the missing marquess and the dastardly villains who have abducted him. As she tries to rescue the young noble, she must also evade her older brother while also continuing her search for her mother. All in a day’s work it seems for a youngest Holmes sibling.

My Thoughts: A month or two ago I watched the Enola Holmes movies on Netflix. I enjoyed the star-studded cast including Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill and Helena Bonham-Carter. Then recently I was looking for something short and lighter to listen to when I stumbled upon this. It felt like a perfect fit for my interest level at the time.

Having watched and read many Sherlock Holmes iterations, so I knew the feel of the Holmes-esque character. I liked both versions, movie and book, of Enola Holmes. She is smart, determined and resourceful as she tries to solve the mysteries before her. I loved how it introduces younger readers to clues and symbols in the art of detecting. For instance, Enola and her mother use the language of flowers to communicate in code. I can see this easily being a gateway into the more involved stories of Sherlock Holmes and other detective fiction.

Overall, it was an enjoyable listen. I may one day listen to more books in the series and see how they compare to the other movies. I would recommend this for teens looking for an engaging mystery series without too much violence or bad language.

The Lineup: Hannah

Hannah’s Lineup

YouTube: Good Mythical Morning

Is there anything better than watching two grown men who have been best friends literally their entire lives be creative, silly, and ridiculous together? Nope. Good Mythical Morning is one of the longest running YouTube channels and for good reason. Rhett & Link have created a brand that I love. Their show is feel-good, laughter-inducing, usually-wholesome good stuff.

Available here: https://www.youtube.com/goodmythicalmorning

Podcast: Ronstadt

I usually listen to podcasts about running or Rhett & Link’s podcast Ear Biscuits, so this was a new adventure for me. Ronstadt stars Rhett and Link. It is scripted and uses immersive audio. The story line is great for this time of year…action-packed, a little scary, with a touch of mystery. It reminded me of old books on tape that I used to listen to as a child. The immersive audio can be a bit intense. I was listening to it while doing yard work outside and got spooked and truly believed someone was right behind me!

Game: Pokemon Go

Yep…people still play this game. And to be honest, it’s better than it was in the beginning. During the school and work shut down last year, my family started playing it anew. We had a route around our neighborhood mapped out where we could hit up at least a dozen pokestops and 4 gyms. It got us outside and kept us sane together.

Check it out here: https://pokemongolive.com/en/

Book: Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer

I read these books shortly before the Netflix movie came out. In true librarian fashion, I believe the books to be superior. The story is a fun twist on the Sherlock Holmes universe with the addition of a much younger sister who shares the Holmes affinity for mystery and crime solving. There are seven books in total with more potentially on the horizon. The popularity of the movie invited Springer to write the seventh book after an 11-year hiatus from the series.

Available in our KanShare catalog, the Sunflower eLibrary or Libby app

Hobbies: Fall Running

Fall running has to be just about my favorite thing in the entire world. The cool mornings are perfect for picking up the pace and enjoying the peace and quiet before the start of a busy day. There are several free apps you can use to track runs. I typically wear a Garmin, but MapMyRun and Strava are good free options.

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