Sherlock Holmes Reborn?

Hello and welcome back to the next edition of Ink Stained Fingers were books of all flavors get their time in the spot light.

Well, you’ve seen me review quite a few vampire novels since this blog was created and one list.

For those that don’t like vampire novels, this must have been hell on earth.

Well fear no longer. My next book has nothing to do with vampires. Come to think of it, it has nothing to do with anything supernatural at all.

The book I chose for today is something I had to read when I took a Popular Female Literature class back in college. Since then the series has become one of my favorite ones of all time.

What book am I talking about?

I’m referring to the book The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King.

While the synopsis to the book starts talking about Sherlock Holmes, the series is really about a young woman named Mary Russell. The book as well as the rest of the series is from her point of view starting with meeting a retired Sherlock Holmes on the Sussex Downs.

From then on, it’s her personality, her intelligence, and her stubbornness that draw them into a close confidence as friends. Eventually, this paves the way to a kidnapping of a young girl that forces the recluse Sherlock Holmes to take Mary Russell as his partner. A decision that lead them into a bigger mystery than either of them are prepared for.

For those that have read the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this Sherlock Holmes bears a similar resemblance to the Doyle version. However, you must keep in mind this is a sort of “what if” type of Sherlock Holmes. As in, what if Sherlock Holmes retired in his later years and met a woman who could match him in intelligence, wit, and strength?

I’ve read some of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. People that know me best know that I tend to put more pressure on later books that are about the same person that an earlier writer wrote about or when someone makes a book into a movie.

I have to admit, the way the story was written does seem like a logical leap from Sherlock Holmes as an active investigator to Sherlock Holmes the retired beekeeper.

This is one series that I really don’t want to give anything away on.

The story writing is never boring and the action keeps you riveted. Normally, the first book in the series is so full of information that you are slogging your way through till the second or even third book. This book, however, manages to give you the details leading up to the events in a way that flows well, offers enough info without overloading the reader, and keeping the plot moving forward.

It’s a hard task to accomplish but Laurie R. King has found the way to make a story easy to get into and nearly impossible to put down.

I’ve always been addicted to mysteries. Heck, I’ll even admit to reading Nancy Drew novels as a young girl and wanting to own every one that ever existed.

I’m sure some of my friends will never let me live that little secret down. Oh well.

But this is a book for an older audience. Who would’ve thought that you’d get sexual tension in a Sherlock Holmes series? I’m not kidding. The series will keep you guessing till the very last sentence.

The books series is now 9 books long as Laurie King as come out with yet another book in this series. However, Sherlock Holmes is and always will be an icon in the mystery genre. I personally hope that someone keeps that tradition alive for years to come.

If you like mysteries, Sherlock Holmes, strong women or any combo of the three, then go out and give The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King a shot. Even if you think mysteries aren’t the genre of books for you, I still recommend this series. Try this little technique out if you think you won’t like them.

Drive or ride or bum a ride over to your favorite book store, pull this book off the shelf and just start reading. If you come to your senses in the third chapter then get this book because just maybe they are the genre for you.

I’m Creative Karma and I’m addicted to mysteries.

Are you going black?

Hey everyone, Creative Karma here.


This post is going to be a little different than the rest of my usual fare because things are coming up in our government that need to be focused on.


Many of you might have all ready heard of the possible new legislative acts named SOPA and PIPA that are trying to be passed into law. If you haven't, it's about time to wake up and pick up a newspaper or check out a website.


There are numerous sites and pages dedicated to talking about these two pieces of legislation. More than enough to understand what they are and what could happen if these new bills pass. And before I go any further I will say this: This site is purely dedicated to my opinion on things based on things I have heard and heard. Anything I say on this subject is based purely on the things I've read and heard about the legislation.


Now, to give a brief intro here, SOPA and PIPA are pretty much the exact same bill save for a change in words and things that are added or not there in the other bill. In short, these two bills are the collective idea and suggestion for how to stop internet piracy of American products such as movies, songs, games and so on.


Of course, this idea is a great one in theory. But then so is a lot of things in a perfect world.


Why don't I support these bills?


It's really quite simple.


These bills give ultimate power to artists or authors or companies that believe someone has stolen (aka being guilty of copyright infringement) to take that person to court to either sue the person or company and/or force the site to shut down or to remove/block that copyrighted item from their site.


While in a perfect world this is a great idea for making sure people aren't committing the internet version of shoplifting, this isn't a perfect world. It's very likely that some companies will use this power without mercy against even the slightest of offenders.


Imagine with me if you will. Imagine video taping your child walking for the first time. Cute right? I know it's adorable. Then, let's say you have music you have on your computer whether you bought it on line or in a store and you set this cute video of your kid up on Youtube with that music in the back ground or added to the video when you edited it.


Nothing wrong with that right?


Well, if these bills pass, there is a good chance that a company might go to the owners of Youtube and try to take them to court if they don't remove or block the video from their website because the song itself is under copyright and people could download the video and steal the song.


So now that cute video of your kid gets removed from the video sharing site because you decided to play music during the video.


It might seem very far fetched but there is a possibility that companies may take it too far in the name of protecting their clients.


To me this is cutting the line far too close to taking away our right to freedom of speech. If it's not then it's really splitting hairs very closely.


I would gladly support these bills if the government would put restrictions on the companies and how much power they'd have over what is bannable and what is not. Yes, I created a new word there.


If the government could make sure that those people that are truly stealing music, images, videos and the like are the ones being targeted and not the little people that are simply posting things like videos of their kids or syncing music they bought up to a game they are playing that they are paying for anyway. It's that second group of people who aren't purposely committing copyright infringement but sharing their likes and dislikes and hobbies with friends and family.


Until the government can make that kind of promise, I'm against SOPA and PIPA.


I personally don't want to see the day that I can't review books and show things like the cover art for the book because that'd be copyright infringement or the day when my friend TheCinemaChick has to shut down her site because she reviews movies and sometime places clips of movies on the site. I don't want to see the day where people like That Guy With The Glasses team can no longer maintain a website because they show clips of movies and books and comics and games during their reviews. I don't want to see that happen to anyone who is only expressing their opinion on a certain subject manner.


So, along with many other websites and the like I'm supporting black out day which is January 18th. This post may be getting posted in the morning of said date but I support it just the same. This same message will be posted on my other sites as well. This is because, while I may be an artist and a writer and want my works to be protected I don't want that at the expense of freedom of speech. I want people to show pictures I've drawn and make commentary on them. I want to one day have someone showing clips from a movie of a screen play I wrote. I want that because it only serves to spread my works out to everyone. To have them noticed by everyone and get me noticed and appreciated by people who need inspiration or like the way I think.


This is Creative Karma and I'm blacking out.

My Guilty Pleasures

Hello and welcome back to Ink Stained Finger where no book is too good or too bad for a review.

As I mentioned last time, I’m following in the footsteps of my old friend TheCinemaChick. She’s pretty much the reason I decided to start up this blog in the first place.

So with that in mind, it’s time for me to offer my next list.

I’m sure that there’s been a time or two where you were reading a book or watching a movie where you’ve had a friend or family member wondering why the heck you’re reading or watching whatever it is.

It’s not because of the subject content but simply because they don’t understand just why someone would enjoy that particular book or movie. I’ve found myself there quite a few times defending books that I think have some value to them despite whatever inconsistencies they contain.

That’s what I mean when I talk about those books that are my guilty pleasures. Those books that for a reason no one really understands you enjoy and find yourself going back to them time and time again.

So on this edition of Ink Stained Fingers, I’m going to touch on the 5 books that are my personal guilty pleasures. While they aren’t in any particular order, they all made the list just the same.

So let’s get this show on the road.

5.      The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer

Now, I know one friend is going to wonder why this book even made the list. I’ve bashed this book with this friend talking about how bad it is and how things don’t make a heck of a lot of sense. However, this book is more set up for children than it is for adults. In that mindset, this book is actually pretty interesting. It’s not like a typical children’s book with fairytale creatures or knights or princesses. Heck, it’s not even set in the U.S. of A but in Zimbabwe. But the fact that they went outside of the norm for children’s books and created a futuristic world is to be commended. I haven’t seen many other books like it and it’s easy to get into the story without wondering what is going on.

4.      The Chalice and the Blade by Glenna McReynolds

Despite my overly independent nature and dislike of stories with a female character that must be constantly saved by a man (feminist? Who, me?), this story makes this list because it manages to slide past my usual defenses. This is the case simply because the way the characters are written. The female character isn’t always in danger and manages to do rather well with the few times that she’s given to take care of herself. Sometimes she even faces danger on her own and saves people, which is far more than I can say of Bella from the Twilight series.

3.    A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

Again, this is a book I had to read in one of my literature courses in college. This book is very different from any others on this list simply because of its realism and lack of supernatural elements. However, this book is completely depressing half the time. Look at the title for yourself if you can’t figure out why it might be. However, this book made the list because of a simple thing I covered in my last list. This is a book about facing up to something that no one can overcome and coming to a sense of peace and understanding that gets you through it. It’s a great message to get across and that’s only one of them. It’s a guilty pleasure simply because it offers such valuable messages that the depressing subject matter is only background noise.

2.    Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton

Now, I have quite a few people that find the entire Anita Blake series as joy to read. Even going so far as to be very popular. But this book makes this list because of the action that happens in between all the other drama. The emos stop being emos, theirs lots of fighting, and make up sex as well as intentional sex and magical sex…did I say there was sex?

1.          The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries was a series I never really got into like rest of those that loved it right into a TV series that has nothing to do anymore with the books, but that’s not a review for me to do.

However much I don’t like the TV series and the fact that I didn’t go right out and buy the rest of the books, I found myself at least sucked into the idea that L.J. created in her type of vampires. Then again, maybe it’s because Elena is NOTHING like the whiny and pouty Bella who complains about every day she gets older.

Elena deals with the situation, sometimes on her own, and finds her own way. She may get all goo goo eyed with Stefan and his brother, but they are rather hot. But she doesn’t cling to them unless she finds herself in a situation that she can’t handle on her own. She’s not a damsel in distress but she’s not the lone gun either. She plays her part and manages to stick it out which is why it makes my list.

And there you have it, my 5 Guilty Pleasure books.

If you have a favorite book that no one else understands just keep one thing in mind, if it’s a book you enjoy and it lifts you up, makes you happy, inspires you, or any of those other good emotions then don’t let anyone take the joy out of those books for you. They don’t have to understand why you enjoy it just that you do.

So that’s all from me for now.

This is Creative Karma and I enjoy my guilty pleasures.

Influenced Much?

Hello and Welcome back to Ink Stained Fingers.

I'm taking a side track from reviewing a whole series of books in order to do something a little different.

Today's little journey is actually inspired and prodded along by a friend of mine. Namely, TheCinemaChick. She recently posted her list of the Top Five Movies that Influenced her. Naturally, as we got to talking I got "influenced" to write my own list. But here we are all about books. So let's dive into The top 5 books that influenced me.

5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen


Now I'm well aware of the subject content of this book. I'm very aware that the whole story centers around a family of six girls that are all hot to get hitched up to an eligible bachelor. Well, everyone besides Elizabeth Bennett.

However, while reading this story a while back I noticed one key thing that usually happens to me when I'm reading a story I love. I read it for hours on end and finally put the thing down when I noticed it was 3am in the morning.

The book is an all time classic of Jane Austen's. It's a timeless story that really isn't about girls that have to get married at all. It's about Elizabeth and how the lack of information or believing in the social views of a person without getting to know the person underneath can lead to an incorrect assumption about a person. For Lizzy, this person ended up being a man she despised for all the wrong reasons, comes to her senses when she discovers the truth and sees that this so called proud man is the match that will fill her life with happiness she never dreamed of obtaining.

4. Stoodie by Taffeta Chime


Now, many of you out there aren't even aware of this book's existence. I wasn't either until my mother bought it for me one day where it was on sale at a play house. Now, normally, I'm rather dubious about any books my mother brings home for me to read.

However, the back cover of the story and the history of the author enticed me enough that I gave it a chance and boy was I glad I did.

This story is the ultimate story to read for those people who feel like there isn't a place for them in this world or those who had a place but it's suddenly taken from them due to loss of popularity or whatever. The book itself talks about one girl's struggle to deal with her changing world and learning to adapt and gain a new confidence about herself.

For me personally, this story really showed me that I'm not alone in those types of feelings and that despite the trials I may face that it can bring about something amazing.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Now this story nearly everyone in the world has heard of in some format or another. If you haven't then apparently you've been living in a cave. Most people tend to think of the early Harry Potter books as kids books. However, there is some seriously heavy and adult material inside that outer shell of wizards and magic.

What influenced me in this book is not only the way Harry and his friends stick together through all the trials that they have to face but the courage they face when coming up against the unexpected. They are scared like anyone would be but they face those fears head on even faced with the greatest of tasks.

I think the most influencing part of this story is spoken by Remus Lupin. In short, that whether or not things ended up exactly the way you wanted them to that if you can help one person, prevent an innocent person from taking an unjust punishment, and prove to yourself what is the truth despite that no one else knows it, that it can make all the difference in the world whether anyone knows what you've done or not or if anyone thinks it's right or not.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Following of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien


This story is just one of those stories that has everything going for it. It has action, adventure, romance, hot guys. I mean what else could anyone want? But this isn't about how great this book is. This is about how this book influenced me.

Heck, I don't need to say much about this at all that the book or the movie hasn't all ready said and I quote: "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

Need I say more?

And the number one book that influenced me is....


1.  The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King


This book I could read over and over and over again.

The woman whose point of view we are hearing the story from isn't some damsel in distress that has to be saved by a man constantly. Yes, she meets a man along the way that gets the story going. But she's got an inner strength and fire that can't be denied or squashed by anyone.

Mary Russell makes it a point to not let herself get pushed aside when she knows that something is going on that she's being kept out of especially when everything else between them has held no secrets. She doesn't make excuses for why she can't or didn't do something. Instead she takes chances and risks and proves to everyone that she's not someone to be lightly tossed aside.

Her determination not to be treated like a frilly and delicate woman is her strength rather than a weakness like most would think. It gives her an edge of confidence and daring that, if she were of the mind to and lived in the current decade, would lead her to be the first woman President.

Her passion and fire is something rarely seen among girls today and it's something I long to obtain for myself one day and never let anything stand in the way of what I really want.

So there you are, the top five books that influenced me.


I highly recommend you go out and try these books out for yourself if you haven't all ready. But even if you've all ready read them, read them again. Their messages will certainly lasts for years to come and you never know when the message they are bringing across will influence you in a positive direction.

Come back here next time to see the next list that's once again inspired by my friend TheCinemaChick. My Top 5 Guilty Pleasure Books. Maybe we'll share some of the same books that you go back to read time and time again but your friends just don't understand why.

This is Creative Karma and keep an eye out because the next book I review may be your guilty pleasure.

"Guilty Pleasures?" Yes please!

Hello again and welcome to another review here at Ink Stained Fingers.

As those that are in the know, my few reviews have either been about vampires or about one Christmas story I threw in for the holidays. Well, those who came here looking for something different…sorry to disappoint.

However, we are going to be doing a different version of vampires. No sparkling in the sun, no weak lines, or akwkard teenage girls.

No this series is quite different. Though, this is your only warning, if you don’t like sex from the basic to the exotic in graphic detail, orgies, blood, murder, sexual innuendos, rotting corpses, cannibalism, or voodoo then this series is not for you.

For those of you that are still with me after all of that, welcome to the review of the first book of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series called Guilty Pleasures.

This book series takes the idea of vampires as they started from the classic Dracula and added to it. That’s a huge point in its favor in my book. I don’t want the same thing over and over but I do expect certain things to happen with something new and fresh added in. The Anita Blake series does just that.

Just for a quick overview, vampires do “sleep” during the daytime unless they are a super old and super powerful vampire. However, even those that can remain awake during the daylight hours can NOT go out in the sun. Not unless they want to be turned into ash. They have to feed on humans because feeding on animals causes some seriously bad side effects. All vampires come from different lines or lineages of vampires. Each lineage has a specific set of powers that only their line has.

However, this series isn’t just about vampires. It has werewolves too. However, not just werewolves but a whole species called lycanthropes. This means along with the traditional werewolf you have weretigers, werefoxes, werecobras, werebears etc. etc. All of the lycanthropes are much much larger than their natural counterparts. They can shift at will though there are side effects to that as well but they all must shift during a full moon.

Unlike series like The Vampire Diaries, Twilight and the Anne Rice series, these creatures are set in a world where everyone young and old and everything in between know and live around them. Vampires and Lycanthropes can live in the open and have all the rights and privileges of the humans. Though, of course, nothing is ever perfect. But still they have a choice to be mainstream or keep it a secret. They can have jobs, get married, have a family and all sorts of things.

This is the world Anita Blake lives in. Anita Blake herself has two jobs in this world where the supernatural lives next door. She is a licensed vampire executioner and animator. And by animator I mean she raises the dead. Not resurrection but true blue zombies for pay. Why? Sometimes daddy didn’t leave a will. Sometimes mommy was murdered and they have to figure out who did it. Or any number of other reasons.

Now that all the needed info is out of the way time to really dig in to Guilty Pleasures.

This book has it all, lycanthropes, sexy and scary vampires, eye candy, a sexy but empowered woman trying to take it all on and stay alive all while the sexy vampire Jean Claude is trying to seduce her.

I won’t give too much away about this book because if you didn’t know this series existed before now I highly suggest you pick this book up and give it a shot.

Now another fair warning, this series is a long one. It has a total of 20 books in all. The author seems to be done with the series…for now. So, once your hooked be aware you’re gonna be in for the long haul. Not to mention the three or four short stories that are floating around in small anthologies of other vampire short stories.

So, if you love sexy vampires, scary vampires, supernatural battles and gun fights give this series a try.

I’m Creative Karma and remember the next time you see me I might be reviewing your favorite book.