The Elementary Sherlock Holmes (Portico)

Synopsis:  
‘To a great mind, nothing is little’ Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes has become such an iconic figure that he’s almost real. He’s on our TV screens, he’s in our films and, of course, the books are still as popular as ever. This fascinating little miscellany tells you everything you need to know about this enduringly popular figure, and lots of stuff you don’t! It contains the plots of all the novels, character descriptions, details of some of the plethora of Sherlock websites, and highlights the best films and TV adaptations. Entertaining and engrossing, The Elementary Sherlock Holmes will satisfy the curious and enlighten even the most dedicated Holmes fan.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
Before I say anything else, I must admit that this book was not really what I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading it, but I think that's because I am relatively new to this fandom. I reckon an 'old' fan of Sherlock Holmes would find this maybe a bit basic. They would definitely not enjoy it as much because this probably wouldn't reveal anything new for them.
That being said this was a very good guide to help one enter this magical world that is the Sherlock Holmes fandom. It presents the novels, the stories and gives some backstories on the main characters and adaptations.
I really appreciate the details and timelines this book provides and I loved seeing the most iconic adaptations of Conan Doyle's detective. There were some aspects that were analysed in ways I hadn't noticed before and that was a new perspective to add to the already complicated case of Sherlock.
However, I wasn't totally pleases with the way the author chose to organise the ideas. I though it was a bit confusing, constantly jumping from one thing to another with no apparent train of thought.
Overall, this was a cool, fun and fast book to read, but I still think that, to me, it fell short, in a way. It could have been a true Sherlock lexicon had maybe a bit more passion or effort from the author come through to the reader.I absolutely recommend this to someone who just started watching the most recent adaptations, like BBC's Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman or the American Elementary (both amazing adaptations, in my opinion, yet not the most recognised by older Sherlock enthusiasts), and never had any other contact with the more classic Sherlock Holmes and wishes to understand more of what's behind it.

Horrorstör (Grady Hendrix)

Synopsis:  
Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk’s labyrinthine showroom.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
First of all, this book deserves 50 starts for concept and originality. I loved the way it was done as a catalog. Now, I must say that this could have taken a comical turn, being designed the way it was, and I was kind of scared it would. Fortunately, Hendrix obviously knows how to deliver a good horror story and used the design in his advantage: even in the first pages of the chapters we could see the evolution of the story.
However, I was not expecting this book to be so graphic and horrifying. As the plot unfolds, it gets more and more gruesome and there were some parts where I found myself wanting to puke or looking behind my back to see if any hands were trying to grab me and put me in some horrific torturing device.
With each page we get more and more involved in this story, and I couldn't get my eyes of the pages. It's so mysterious and compelling and you want to get up, but there is no way out of the Beehive (see, you want to know what that's all about, don't you?)
I absolutely loved the rhythm of the book. The pacing increases more and more and once things start really going crazy there is no way to stop it. The fall is brutal and fast and you have no way to know exactly how much.
Also, I need to mention that this book features the creepiest séance I could ever have imagined. That was truly the turning point, when we started realising what we had gotten ourselves into. Well, us and the characters. They were such a pleasure to read about and I really appreciate the fact that there was some major character development going on. Amy and Basil were my favourites and I was rooting for them the whole time. Amy, particularly, was a very interesting character to follow, as she grew into what we wanted her to become, she realised she needed to stop quitting and she fought her way out of this horror story (and then in again). Ruth Anne also shows sides of her personality we didn't think we would get to see and I believe this is what made all these characters real and not just two-dimensional.
The ending was perfect and left me there desperately wanting more, to know what happened after they went inside, although I think it works amazingly the way it was done.
The only thing left to say is that I would love to see this as a movie, I think it could become a serious classic horror movie if it was done right, and I can't wait to see where this idea goes in the near future.
Quirk Books really knows how to make amazing and beautiful books and I thank them for doing this one specifically.