Mrs Sherlock Holmes…Police Reform

I decided to write about a book I have recently finished and I want all the book lovers to go out and read it. I think that I loved it so much, because it is so relevant to everything that we are going through right now.

Mrs Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricca 

I HIGHLY recommend this one! Especially at the moment. When I first started this one, I thought it was just going to be about the Ruth Cruger case. It was so much more than that!

It’s all about police corruption, the “buddy buddy” culture within the police. It writes about her rise and ultimately how the Patriarchy tried to bring her down. Where it touches on a little about the suffragette movement. When people ask me now which three people, living or dead, would I ask around to dinner. One will be Mary Grace Quackenbos. I don’t want to write anymore about it. Just read it, and read it NOW.

For those who don’t know this book is based on a real person and a real famous case. Mary Grace Quackenbos, was a real person, a real lawyer and a real “detective”. Ruth Cruger was a real missing girl. Apart from the missing girl case, Quackenbos was really known for helping people get out, who were laboured with peonage or the person slave trade. Although peonage was officially outlawed in the states in 1867, it still went on. The reason why MGQ was called in, was because when Ruth Cruger went missing, there was a lot of alarm around the white person slave trading going on.

One of the reasons I found this book so fascinating was because how many of the issues and situations in this book, are still prevalent to this day.

When Ruth first disappeared, the police put it down to Ruth being a “bad girl”, and that she had just run off with some unknown man. Even though there was absolutely no proof of this. The only thing that Ruth took with her were her ice skates, no extra clothes, no money, just the skates.

The police did not thoroughly investigate Alfred Cochi’s, motorbike shop, where Ruth was heading to get to her skates sharpened. When it came out later, it was found that Alfred repaired and adjust a lot, if not all of the NYPD motorbike patrol bikes, at the same time.

When Mary Grace Quackenbos, started to investigate the Army though. With underage girls being taken back to their local training camps, a couple had disappeared. That was when she went too “far”. That’s when people started to question her, even though, by the evidence at the time, she was correct. Some of the local soldiers, were taking underage girls back with them. The Patriarchy decided that was a “step too far”. She was trying to smear the name of the Army…All of a sudden all the police originally question with the Ruth Cruger case, were suddenly let off, some got promotions, most were welcome back. MGQ, lost all her prominent positions. The media were HORRIBLE to her. After, they decided to credit the male detectives with the discovery of Ruth Cruger, even though it was because of MGQ constant poking and prodding. The male detectives physically brought out the body.

Quackenbos, just you know:

• Got the search warrants approved.
• Talked to Alfred’s wife, who was being a pain.
• Actually questioned the police and dug more into the original witnesses accounts.
• Listened to the family plea’s of “She had been kidnapped, she would never have just run off”.
• Did some ACTUAL investigation into the Cochi’s.
• Found the blue prints for them to dig around the Cochi’s cellars.
• Oh, bought the Cochi’s house. So the detectives could get into the Cochi’s old cellar.

You know though, it was the male detectives.

Sound familiar?

This could literally be today, and it makes you wonder, really.

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Fury Born Review

The Break Down:

Angels are Demons, and chosen ones seem to always fall to the dark side. You are taken along on the journey of two different female protagonist. You realise fairly early on who is who and who they are supposed too. It’s very much about the demon and angel within us all and how the choices we make affect us and those around us.

Positive Review:

I enjoyed most of this book. I think it definitely written for a young audience, I think it’s written for your Young Adult audience. The introduction was fantastic and it really will drag you in and make you want to keep reading. I always love a book that can drag me in to start with. The challenge is always keeping the reader interesting the rest of the way…

Negative Review:

Which then leads me to my negative review…The parts of the book that did frustrate me was the repetitiveness of the chapters. The same theme happening over and over again. I’m afraid to say that it became boring after a couple of chapters. I was hoping for something more.  I wish that instead of Rielle fighting with another element, every single chapter and nothing really that much more. It could have been condensed into a couple of longer chapters instead. I felt like it was dragging on and it didn’t need to be. I became one of those people who briefly read the ending just to make sure something does happen at the end.

My Breakdown:

It starts off SO well. I can’t express how much the beginning of this book got me involved into it. I wanted to know everything about everyone, by the 6th chapter I felt like I knew where the story was going. The rest of the book felt a bit too dragged out.  Then as you head towards the ending of the book, it drags you back in again and it feels like it is going somewhere. I will be getting the book in the next series, but possibly I’ll borrow it from the Library first.

A Lord of Shadows

 I finished this book a while ago. One of the reasons though I am able to write about it a bit later is that I actually bought the book. Which means I have been able to go back and forth reminding myself *if I’ve needed too*

(You can also find me on Goodread here and see what else I’m reading at the moment)

I really enjoy writing and reviewing Cassandra Clare’s book. They are such a joy to read and I love encouraging people to read them…In series order of course! I will also warn, that if you haven’t read it yet, I will probably more than likely be revealing a couple of things. Although if you read the first book “Lady Midnight” you will probably know a couple of these things that I talk about.

Negative Bits:

I wanted to get this over and done with. Mainly because then I can just write to my hearts content how fabulous this book is!

The main issue that I had with this book is the same issue that I’ve always had, with all the Shadowhunters book. It does annoy me that, even though, the Parabatai are “supposed” to be able to tell how each other is feeling. It always seems to be conveniently misplaced, when it’s…well…convenient.

For those who do not know what a ‘Parabatai’ is. It’s a bond between two people. Can be male and female, male and male, female and female and siblings. When I say “bond” I mean they are SUPPOSED to be able to sense how the other one is feeling. Not reading minds, but they can essentially feel when something is off. Now if I was dating someone to pretend to be in love with them, so my Parabatai couldn’t tell that I was in love with them. That would be a pretty hard thing to “pretend”. Especially when you’ve been so closely bonded with someone for such a long time.

Positive Bits:

I have always loved Cassandra Clare novels. There really isn’t anything to negative that I can say about the books. I have noticed that “The Dark Artifices” are quiet a bit longer than Cassandra Clares’, previous series’s … And I have been loving it! Finally a well written, book that flows beautifully that takes a while to read! One of the major points that I really loved was that, although the book is long, it was a great read. I feel like that is SO important!

I have picked up so many a large book and I just haven’t been able to get through. Take “The Hobbit” for example. I’ve only ever been able to read about a quarter of the book. I stopped reading it because “The Hobbit” is a book that you need to be able to spend time to read. Whereas “Lord of Shadows” is simple to read. Yet, I couldn’t put it down either.

I already know that I am asking for “The Queen of Air and Darkness” for my Christmas present this year! It’s coming out, just in time for Christmas…You can pre-order it now! (Disclaimer – I am not being paid for this)

Small Great Things or Talk Great Big Things?

*spoiler alert*

I don’t know why I wrote that title, it really doesn’t make that much sense. Here we have though another review! I really am enjoying these, I think I will be keeping these up in the new year. I may be changing the lay outs of my reviews…Watch this space for more!

The reason I wrote the title that I did was because I feel like this book has brought up some great big issues, that are very relevant for today. So let’s talk!…Write as the case may be.

Jodi Picoult: Small Great Things

The Break Down :

Ruth Jefferson works in Connecticut Hospital as a labour and delivery nurse, she has worked confidently for over 20 years, and working for many years as a single mother. During one shift Ruth begins her routine checkup on a newborn and when she returns, she has been told that she had been reassigned. As you read further into the book you find out that the parents are white supremacist, who do not want an African American taking care of their baby.

The Hospital takes the side of the parents and posts a post-it note. Even though this rule IS discriminatory.

During the next day the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone with the baby. Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and when the baby dies, Ruth is charged with a serious crime.

Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

Positive:

This book is an interesting one to read and is strongly written as well. I felt so uncomfortable reading it, but I felt like I needed to read it. As a white woman, there are topics that come up in the book that I had never considered before. Even thought it made me feel uncomfortable, I am very glad that I read it. You can tell that Jodi Picoult actually put a lot of research into it.

Even thought it is an extremely depressing type and eye-opening written book, it was so well written that you keep reading. I did struggle to read it initially because I was finding the topic so hard to read about. I am one of those positive people, that just wants to believe in the best in people. I found it hard to read because I just wanted the Hospital to stand up for Ruth and I wanted the white supremacist to get “over themselves” so to speak. I don’t get being angry at someone when you don’t know them.

This is an eye opening book! I cannot repeat this enough!

Negative:

Even though it was a great book I just didn’t like the ending. It felt like an Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader kind of scenario. I felt that it just happened too fast. It wasn’t the result of the court case that annoyed me, that was great. It was the very last chapter, about the father of the dead baby.

What I mean by Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader fast. I mean that one of the characters suddenly seems to switch complete personality, like a total finger click. I am not going to say which character in this book does that. I am just having a hard time believing that someone would change that fast. Sure it jumps ahead a few years into the future in the last chapter, which might account for the change. Considering it’s the very next chapter though in “our world”, I just found it difficult to believe.

Overall:

Overall I really enjoyed the book, even though it did make me squirm and made me feel uncomfortable,e but it was not because of bad writing or bad characters. I highly recommend everyone read this book, no matter your colour of skin!

It’s here!

So, you may have seen an entry from me recently “My First ever Vlog Blog Book review!” and how I kept screwing up the editing/uploading process (making videos is not my first skill)…I’ve finally done it though! Yay! =D

You’ll also need to forgive me because I am still figuring out how to edit everything (there was supposed to be music) but I am definitely looking into getting more into Vlogging, it’s so much fun!