SHERLOCK: Short Story Anthology - Review

Author: Assorted Authors

Genre: Mystery

Format: Kindle Ebook 

Published: November 30, 2026 

Anything with Sherlock in the title will catch my eye, whether at a bookstore, library, or, as the case may be, NetGalley. But what made me grab this book was the fact that Joe Hill wrote one of the stories inside. That very much had my attention and apparently control of my hands because I requested it! What also helped was that there are a lot of authors attached to this that I've been meaning to pick up their books: Sarah Perry, S.A. Crosby, Janice Hallett, etc. So it really felt like a win-win for me. I can see Joe Hill doing his creepy thing with two of my favorite characters, and I can try out some new authors at the same time.

Now, when I jump into any short story collection, I always assume there's going to be at least one story I have to either force myself to finish, or one I just DNF and move on from. It's just the way sometimes with collections. Some stories hit; some unfortunately do not. So I prepared myself for that and then enjoyed a lovely introduction by one of my favorite comedians, Stephen Fry. He played one of my favorite versions of Mycroft Holmes! It wasn't until I'd made it to the last story that I realized I hadn't skipped a single story. Not only had I read them all, but I had also devoured them all.

Every single one of these authors came at canon in their own way, but I found myself enjoying their versions of Holmes and Watson. I assumed from the start that Joe Hill's story would be my favorite, and while I really enjoy it, it wasn't. Steve Cavanagh's story with Sherlock going mind-for-mind with an AI was hands down my favorite. Not only was it creepy, but you spend the whole story rooting for Sherlock to take the win. 

Altogether, this was a great collection by an amazing group of writers. You can tell that they love Sherlock Holmes in their own way, because they brought so much care into a world that already loved him. They knew what readers loved about these characters but still made the stories their own, and I enjoyed every single chapter and every single page. So on November 30th, 2026, wherever it is that you get your ebooks (because I sadly don't think this is getting a physical copy), snag this bad boy up. 

And if it does get a physical copy, this one I'll be adding to my shelves. I could see myself reading this one again!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

   

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all do. Sometimes the cover catches our eye and draws us to take a closer look at a book. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

Nora Pacetti is a new stay-at-home mother, tired but coping while caring for her happy, healthy baby Olivia. But then one morning, something that looks like a feather starts growing out of Olivia's arm. Or at least, that’s what Nora’s mother, Giulia, thinks. Nora thinks her mother has probably spent too much time watching conspiracy videos on YouTube.

Nora’s husband thinks Olivia needs tests, specialists, hospitals. But Nora senses that whatever is happening to her daughter needs to be concealed—and a mother’s intuition is never wrong. Soon sinister people begin asking questions about Olivia, and Nora starts to wonder if there really is something wrong with her baby. But she’s determined to discover the truth about her daughter…no matter the cost.

HAPPY READING!!

the Lost Tomb - Review

Author: Douglas Preston

Genre: Nonfiction

Format: Paperback 

 

This was so close to a four-star read. It was right there because I super enjoyed it. It hit so many things I love about these kinds of nonfiction books. These were read stories, well vetted, but still a lot of fun. The book wasn't too dry. Most of these stories were original articles, so they were written to grab people's attention and keep it. So when I found the audiobook, I thought it would be a perfect at-work read.

I wasn't wrong. This was great when I got stuck in one spot doing something monotonous. Each story was short and easy to follow along with, and the narrator was great. I didn't feel like I was sitting in a history class. Which I was a little worried about because sometimes the narrator goes too fast and speed-reads, or just drones on and one and I start to fall asleep while I prep. I did not have that problem with this book. The narrator was great!

Each story is great and full of great information, and the author knew not everyone would know what he was talking about. But you never feel talked down to as he explains everything. You're just learning. Also, I like that, where there were updates since the original article came out, Preston made sure to give those updates. So nothing felt too stagnant or outdated.

All in all, a great book. So why three stars?

Because I don't know who decided what order these stories needed to be in, but I hate them. Instead of splitting the book up into paleontology subjects and true crime stories, it was just a hodgepodge of things thrown into a book. Sometimes stories that went together were back-to-back, but most were far enough apart, and since I was listening at work, time passed, and things got forgotten. My only complaint is I wished stories were grouped. I would have been so much less confused. There were a couple of moments where I had to stop and figure out how we got here, or where we going.

Still, I did enjoy this as a whole. I already got to use some of what I learned in this book in the wild. Which was fun!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

Welcome to the dark. It has very sharp teeth.

Based on the internationally bestselling comic series, with millions of copies in print,​ the first full-length novel from the terrifying world of Something Is Killing the Children—a stunning collaboration between Eisner-winning co-creator James Tynion IV and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White

As a Black Mask, Erica Slaughter has a very straightforward job: find the monster, kill the monster, then do it all again. But when she arrives in Badwater, Idaho, nothing is simple. She can’t determine whether the horrific killer of a twelve-year-old was a bear, a person, or something much worse. Complicating matters is the charismatic doomsday preacher who is quickly leading the small town to the verge of hysteria. If Erica wants to save the surviving children, she has to figure out which kid’s fears might have summoned a monster—and fast. Erica must get to the truth before the Order and the town come to the same conclusion: to stop the monster, you have to kill the girl.

Hope Is a Knife is a chilling, original tale in SIKTC lore, where monsters are real and only the hunters of the Order of St. George are equipped to challenge them. Whether or not you’ve already devoured the Eisner Award–winning comics, this standalone vision of supernatural horror is a thrill ride of the highest order.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

Beauty doesn’t fade. It feeds.

Marion Wagner has spent her whole life wanting nothing more than to be seen. But after failing to make her mark (any mark, really) as an influencer, she takes a job at a company focused on cutting-edge deepfake technology. And there, in secret, is where creates her salvation. 

Isabella. An impossibly gorgeous girl who takes social media by storm. Marion’s code is brilliant, and Isabella seems real. So real that she garners millions of followers. Brands beg to partner with her. Everyone wants to meet her IRL. The adoration—and the cash—flows in. Marion is finally happy. She's getting all the attention she ever wanted—isn't she? 

Then the cracks begin to show. Marion can barely stay ahead of the partnership requests, and love letters and the rabid fans filling her DMs trying to track Isabella down. All this time working in secret with all this pressure is getting to Marion—she can’t tell where she ends, and her creation begins. And when someone gets a little too close to her secret, a violent confrontation sends Marion on the run, forcing her to confront what she’s willing to sacrifice to keep her secrets. 

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

I love this series so much. I went in not expecting much, but I've fallen in love with the main character. I need to know exactly who the bad guys are. Because it might be the Prince, or he might just be an idiot. It could also be the Prime Minister; he seems smarmy. And I know we keep calling it magic sickness, and I think it started that way. However, is it still magic sickness, or are we just using that as an excuse? At least a little bit. I need to know, so volume three is waiting to be picked up! 

What, in fact, did I read? Because I thought I understood what was about to happen. I read the back of the graphic novel. I thought I understood. Then I started reading and realized that I, in fact, have no idea what's happening, but I was totally here for the ride. Because I enjoyed every second of it! I also love that it was a standalone. I need more stand-alones like this one. 

I have totally been enjoying this series. However, this one was kind of a step backward. It was kind of like we jumped back into the first volume. So, like two steps forward, one step back. I do understand that between late nights and nightmares, things are stressful for both main characters. So! I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt that we will talk to each other and trust each other. Maybe finding the long-lost family will help with that. I need to get the volume put on hold!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

   

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all do. Sometimes the cover catches our eye and draws us to take a closer look at a book. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

Protactinium-231 is a body-snatching alien whose crew have burned through the galaxy conquering planet after planet—or at least, they've been trying. They haven't been very successful.

While attempting to conquer the Canada (of all places), Protactinium gets on the wrong side of a god, who strips him of his mind-control powers, transforms him into the weedy, useless Prince Proculo, and sends him to rule over a fantasy kingdom. With no powers, no physical prowess, and no allies, Proculo is forced to put aside his plans for world domination and join the battle between humans and half-human monsters that is ravaging his new home.

After capturing the half-human, half-spider Tantalus, Proculo falls desperately in love with his bristling muscles and sharp fangs. And Tantalus is an eager ally in Proculo's mission to conquer the world. Together, they will be an unstoppable force—against new enemies and old friends alike.

HAPPY READING!!

Night Worms Unboxing

September Theme: Light Up the Night

Night Worms Mail!! There was something other than mailers and bills in my mailbox this week. Which is always a good thing. Because as an adult, I rarely get fun things in the mail. But this week it was Night Worms and two of the books everyone in this house was excited to read! Both of these books have been on our TBRs for a minute. So both of these books will be well read! It also means that the goodie bag has an extra special bonus because I was all about these books! And that hot chocolate, so going into my coffee and becoming an adult beverage when the weather gets a little colder! Because it's slowly becoming warm beverage weather again. And curl up and only read time!

So a huge thanks to the ladies over at Night Worms! 

HAPPY READING!!

Edmonds October SBC

 

A huge thank you to everyone who came out Wednesday to read with us! So many readers so soon after a holiday. I really didn't plan on so many coming out to work on their TBRs. So thank you so much!

If you couldn't come read with us last Wednesday, don't worry! We will be back at Leftcraft on Oct 21st! Reading will kick off at 7:30pm, but shown up early for dinner or a snack!  We'll read for an hour, then wrap up 8:30 pm. 

Hope to see you all there!!

HAPPY READING!!

Most Anticipated part 3

Okay, we are not going to talk about how I missed the month of August because I cannot do maths of any kind. Even basic math that splits the year into three parts. Anyway! So I realized there was no part three to my Most Anticipated posts. Posting on here and on Instagram has been a struggle the last month-ish. I've been in a bit of a funk that I'm slowly pulling myself out of. I just haven't had the energy, or will, or something for either. Through that, I forgot to post, but I remembered, and here we are.

So I scoured through the last of my 2026 TBR to see what I was really excited about. There are so many good books coming out in October. I probably could do a whole post about what I'm excited to get my hands on (food for thought later). But I narrowed it down to six books that I'm excited to get read between September and December.

Before I read Something is Killing the Children, I need to go back through the graphic novel. I don't know where the book will fall in that universe, but I want to be ready for anything. Also! I got super lucky, and I got my hands on How to Survive Camping, volume 4, like two weeks early. So I already have that one in my hands! And I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am that Jessic Feltcher is back, even in book form! This is definitely a curl-up-in-front-of-the-fire kind of book! Ugh, and Rupert Holmes wrote another book; the last one was so much fun. I can only imagine how wild this one is going to get.

Yeah, so that's my list! Maybe in January I'll go through and figure out which ones I bought, which ones I read, and which ones just stayed on the list. I feel like I did pretty well. 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

A young woman wakes up to find the black hound of Death at her front door in this hauntingly beautiful tale from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw.

Antigone is no stranger to death.

For the women of her family, death always comes in the form of a black dog.

When Antigone’s own black dog arrives, she isn’t afraid. She invites it inside, where it soon becomes a daily source of companionship and comfort. It also forces her to reflect on the life she’s led—the parts of herself she’s hollowed out for the sake of others, and the bone-deep exhaustion that’s hounded her every step.

Her Death’s arrival must be a sign, permission to finally let go. To rest. Because while mortality is inevitable, living is a choice.

But a good death comes at a price.

HAPPY READING!!