Popcorn Reviews: Norse myth, Sherlock Holmes, Good That

Why is it titled Popcorn Reviews?  I don't know. 

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Excuse the lazy photography. Writing had zapped my creative levels.

I love Norse myth. Greek myth is good, but in comparison, Norse wins. Sometimes I have a difficult finding a good book on Norse myth that doesn’t. . . read like a textbook. But D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths was rather fun. It also had a wider collection of myths than some of the other Norse mythology books I've read. I learned much more and I think the bizarre illustrations added to the atmosphere. 

Also, this book has a glossary of the characters and places, including pronunciations. Um, THANK YOU! Sure Thor is a no brainer. But Yggdrasil? Yeah, I’m going to need help with that. Even with a glossary I'm still lost on Mjolnir.  

One of the things I find most fascinating about Norse myth is that the Aesir gods allow their downfall to live among them. Loki's mischievous but he seems more of a minor problem in light of the other villains the Aesir gods face. Until the day of Ragnarok, Loki is no longer just some pesky nuisance. He and his children lead the charge on the destruction of the Aesir gods. It's like the ultimate infiltration. 

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The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I think this is one of my favorite of the Holmes’ novellas so far. The plot just twists upon itself into this unknown knot that baffles even Holmes at first.

Someone’s head gets blasted in the night. With an American weapon rigged in a peculiar way. Footprints don’t match up. There’s a bike in the bushes. A missing wedding ring, a missing man, and a missing, uh, dumbbell? And maybe just the simple explanation of an affair brewing behind it all. I think my favorite part is all the switches. The suspension swings from one person to another, and gosh, what in the world is even going on here!? 

Another reason why this is one of my favorites is the flashback scene. Most of the Holmes’ stories involve a flashback into either the villain’s and/or victim’s histories. Because you know this is the part that interest Sherlock Holmes almost as much as solving the crime. Usually, I’m not much of a fan of these flashback scenes. They tend to be long and drawn out with hefty paragraphs of description. But this flashback was filled with mystery of its own. The flashback’s protagonist has an explosive temper even around the dangerous men whose company he keeps. Basically his life is at stake every time he opens his mouth. It was still a little long, but definitely intriguing. Plus, Doyle fictionalized real events for the flashback. 

Ah! This book. The Scorch Trials. I read The Maze Runner sometime around the end of last year. It was one of my favorites. So of course I had to read the sequel. One of the things I love about this book is the puzzle of it all. As well as our narrator. Thomas overthinks and analyzes everything. He even suppresses his first instincts at times when your first instinct reaction may not be favorable to the situation. I did actually write a full review on Goodreads if you want to check it out. I'm still a little new to this Goodreads stuff though. . . But if you've read The Maze Runner, I think the Scorch Trials is worth your while. (If you have a while. . .?) Of course, you'll be given more questions than answers, but what do you expect exactly?

What have you been reading lately? Are you familiar with any of these books?