The Eye of the Crow

I have actually read quite a few books on the subject of Sherlock Holmes, whether they be the Sherlock Holmes books themselves, or a book about the author, or a book about his almost-sister. However, this was the first book I have read with the audacity to try and capture the mind of Holmes at an early age.

He seemed much more bitter and indifferent towards life than he did in other books. This, even though he was a child. It was a very interesting hook that, though it was different, did not seem out of place. In London, the poor had to grow up fast to survive. They were given nothing and blamed for much. In such a hard life, it would be no wonder if someone were to become bitter.

That said, the book also gave an interesting view on the lower class of that time period. Immigrants, people of different beliefs, fallen nobility and the bankrupt were all ostracized as lesser, given only the hardest, lowest-paying jobs, making them all out as criminals when they only commit crimes to live.

An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines is John Green's first book, about a boy named Colin, a child prodigy, who has only ever dated Katherines. Colin never had many friends because he was child prodigy, so when Katherine I became his first friend and then first girlfriend, she left a mark upon him that would haunt him to the end of high school. Colin, a washed up child prodigy, feels like he can go no further neither taking the last step to "genius" nor finally figuring out the formula of why Katherines keep dating and dumping him gives him fufillment.

 John Greene wrote about the psycology of someone who has been ahead of everyone else their entire life, and now can go no further. For someone who views themselves as "superior" this can be a crushing blow. The Katherines are a bit of a symbol for that, in that they always dump him in the end. He can never formulate a relationship that lasts, that goes further. He cannot break free of this cycle, just as he cannot break free of his tarnished glory. However, in the end he breaks the cycle, learning there is more to life than fame or superiority or Katherines.

So, in the end Colin's life is changed by, and he changes  the life of, a girl named Lindsey.