Kate’s 2¢: “The scientific Sherlock Holmes: cracking the case with science and forensics” by James F. O’Brien

“The scientific Sherlock Holmes: cracking the case with science and forensics” by James F. O’Brien

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   It would have been helpful if I’d made a braille list of the Holmes’s title and the abbreviations that were used in the book. It would have been easier to know to which the author was referring, as I was not familiar with all of Holmes’s stories.

   I thought it was interesting that Edgar Alan Poe’s stories were often the inspiration for Holmes’s stories.  Often the insertion of the cited reference was distracting from listening to the book. Perhaps, the citations references could have been placed at the end of each chapter.

   Basically, I enjoyed reading about the techniques used to solve the mysteries.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5182516.James_F_O_BrienActions for this site

Jim O’Brien is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Missouri State University. A lifelong fan of Holmes, O’Brien presented his paper “What Kind of Chemist Was Sherlock Holmes” at the 1992 national American Chemical Society meeting, which resulted in an invitation to write a chapter on Holmes the chemist in the book Chemistry and Science Fiction.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The scientific Sherlock Holmes: cracking the case with science and forensics DB76285

O’Brien, James F. Reading time: 9 hours, 22 minutes.

Read by Ken Kliban. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Science and Technology

True Crime

Literature

Chemistry professor and Sherlock Holmes scholar O’Brien analyzes the ways the fictional detective relied on forensic science to solve crimes. Details Holmes’s use of handwriting analysis, cryptology, and–two years before police did–fingerprinting. Traces the development of these techniques and their application in actual cases. 2013.

Kate’s 2¢: “These unlucky stars” by Gillian McDunn

“These unlucky stars” by Gillian McDunn

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Here are a few take-outs from this story:

–Luck is just a way of excusing bad choices.

–Life has its ups and downs. It evens out in the end.

–When girls do something, it’s an expectation. When boys do something, it’s a celebration.

–Usually, my words bounce off him. Now, it’s as if I can see them sinking in.

–Pish is what you say when someone annoys you.

–There’s more than one way to save a person.

–Figuring out who you are, is the fun part of life.

–No nuts! No buts! No coconuts!

–Love is sometimes hard, but, it is worth it.

   Many thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for such a wonderful story by a talented children’s writer.

   I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative arc, the unique characters, the realism of young people’s dilemmas, and the honor given to a wise elder.

https://www.gillianmcdunn.com

Gillian McDunn, children’s book author

GILLIAN McDUNN (pronounced “Jillian”) has loved to read and write for as long as she can remember.

She grew up in Orange County, California and was the oldest of three children. She has also lived in San Francisco, San Diego, St. Louis (go Cards!), and currently lives near Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Gillian still loves to read and write. She also loves to spend time with her family playing board games, going on road trips, and walking on the beach. 

Her first book is called CATERPILLAR SUMMER. It is a story about a girl named Cat, her brother with special needs, and the summer they will never forget with grandparents they never knew on Gingerbread Island. It is inspired in part by Gillian’s relationship with her brother, Andy, who had multiple disabilities.

Gillian’s second book is called THE QUEEN BEE AND ME. It is about a girl named Meg who has a “tricky” friendship–a best friend who is sometimes nice, and sometimes not so nice. When Meg’s best friend targets a new girl who moves to town, Meg has to decide what kind of person(and friend) she wants to be. 

Gillian is represented by Marietta Zacker of Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

These unlucky stars DB103391

McDunn, Gillian. Reading time: 5 hours, 37 minutes.

Read by Eva Wilhelm.

Friendship Fiction

School Fiction

According to eleven-year-old Annie, luck is never on her side. After some prodding by her social studies teacher, Annie reluctantly tries her fortune at making friends. For grades 4-7. 2021.

Downloaded: July 3, 2021

Download These unlucky stars