Colleen Gleason

The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: COPYRIGHT: September 17, 2013; ISBN: 978-1452110707; PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books; PAGES: 356; UNABRIDGED (Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years; Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 880L; Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 – 12)

Digital: Available

* (This version) Audio: COPYRIGHT: 9/17/2013; ASIN: ‎ B00F8LQQL8; PUBLISHER: Audible; DURATION: 8:25:00; Unabridged; (Audible)

Feature Film or tv: No

SERIES: Stoker & Homes, Book 1

MAIN CHARACTERS: (Not comprehensive--spelling could be wrong—I was listening, not reading)
Miss Alvemina (Mina) Holmes - 17 year old niece of Sherlock Holmes
Miss Evaline Stoker - 17 year old sister of Graham Stoker.
Irene Adler - a character from Sherlock Holmes - a woman who seems to be more clever than he.
Dylan Eckhert - a young man from the future
Pix - a underworld character who turns up at opportune moments and assists Miss Stoker

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it. I searched LAPL’s Overdrive holdings for books narrated by Jayne Entwistle. This one had an intriguing cover. The summary sounded intriguing.
What it was about: Sherlock Holmes’ niece and Graham Stoker’s sister, both aged 17, team up to assist Irene Adler solve the mystery of what has happened to a string of young women who have gone missing.
What I thought: Well done. I enjoy the steampunk genre, and the story held my interest. I also enjoy the humor and the author's vocabulary.

AUTHOR:
Colleen Gleason
From Wikipedia:
“Colleen Gleason lives near Ann Arbor, Michigan[1] with her husband and children.[2][3] She has a degree in English and a MBA from the University of Michigan.[1] She started writing in primary school and wrote nine complete stories before selling the first book of her The Gardella Vampire Chronicles[3] series to a division of Penguin Books, which published it in January 2007:[3] the series arrives at a conclusion on March 2009. In 2008 she wrote a short story, a prequel to the series, titled In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead, published first in the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, then as Victoria Gardella: Vampire Slayer. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in sales and marketing and started her own business[3] in the insurance field.[4]

In 2010, she started the six-novel series The Envy Chronicles, written using the pen name Joss Ware. In 2011, she wrote The Regency Draculia trilogy.”

She has also written short stories. In 2010, she collaborated with Mary Balogh, Susan Krinard and Janet Mullany in a paranormal tribute to Jane Austen, writing "Northanger Castle" for the book Bespelling Jane Austen, published on October 1, 2010.[5]”

NARRATOR:
Jayne Entwistle
From “thejayneshow” .com:
“Jayne was born in the North of England and lived in a myriad of places (Vancouver, San Francisco, Tucson, Sequim, Seattle) before landing in Los Angeles. She is an avid improviser who hitched her space-work wagon to Patrick Bristow’s company, Improvatorium, where she studied, taught, directed and performed improv.

She is an award-winning audiobook narrator best known for her narration of the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. She also received the 2015 Odyssey Honour Award for The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry and the 2016 Odyssey Award for, The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

When not inhaling books for work or pleasure, Jayne works in film, television and commercials. The biggest star she has ever worked with is Shaquille O’Neal. He is quite literally THE biggest star she has ever worked with. Ever. He’s really big!”

LOCATION(S)
London; British Museum

SUBJECTS:
Time travel; vampires; vampire slayers; Sherlock Holmes characters; kidnappings

DEDICATION:
“To
Mary Kay Foley
Madelyn Gostomski
and:
Helen Collins . . .
Three women who have touched my life very deeply

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Miss Holmes
A Summons at Midnight:
“There are a limited number of excuses for a young, intelligent woman of seventeen to be traversing the fog-shrouded streets of London at midnight. A matter of protecting one's life or preventing another's death are two obvious ones.
But as far as I knew, I was neither in danger for my life, nor was I about to forestall the death of another.
Being a Holmes, I had my theories and suspicions as to who had summoned me and why.
The handwritten message had told me that its author was not only female, but a person of high intellect, excellent taste, and measurable wealth. Its content had been straightforward:
Your assistance is requested in a most pressing matter. If you are willing to follow in the footsteps of your family, please present yourself at the British Museum tonight at midnight. Further direction will be provided at that time.”

RATING:.
4

STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
12-16-2022 to 12-31-2022… (plus d'informations)

The Spiritglass Charade by Colleen Gleason

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: COPYRIGHT: October 7, 2014; ISBN: 978-1452110719; PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books; PAGES: 360; UNABRIDGED (Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years; Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 840L; Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 – 12)
Digital: Available

* (This version) Audio: COPYRIGHT: 10/7/2014; ASIN: ‎ B00K7BCSIE; PUBLISHER: Audible; DURATION: 8:58:00; Unabridged; (Audible)

Feature Film or tv: No

SERIES: Stoker & Homes, Book 2

MAIN CHARACTERS: (spelling could be wrong—I was listening, not reading)
Miss Alvemina (Mina) Holmes - Sherlock Holmes neice
Miss Evaline Stoker - Graham Stoker's sister
Irene Adler - Admired by Sherlock Holmes
Dylan Eckhert - Time traveler
Ambrose Grayling - an Inspector
Richard Dancy - Evaline's admirer
Pix - an underworld character who assists Evaline occasionally
Willa Ashton - Her brother is missing
Robbie Ashton - Willa's missing brother
Angus - Richard's dog described as a Basset hound, but referred to as a Beagle.

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it. It was the next book in the series.
What it was about: Sherlock Holmes’ niece and Graham Stoker’s sister, both aged 17, team up to assist Irene Adler solve another mystery, this one involving a young boy who has gone missing.
What I thought: Well done. I enjoy the steampunk genre, and the story held my interest. I also enjoy the humor and the author's vocabulary.

AUTHOR:
Colleen Gleason
From Wikipedia:
“Colleen Gleason lives near Ann Arbor, Michigan[1] with her husband and children.[2][3] She has a degree in English and a MBA from the University of Michigan.[1] She started writing in primary school and wrote nine complete stories before selling the first book of her The Gardella Vampire Chronicles[3] series to a division of Penguin Books, which published it in January 2007:[3] the series arrives at a conclusion on March 2009. In 2008 she wrote a short story, a prequel to the series, titled In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead, published first in the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, then as Victoria Gardella: Vampire Slayer. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in sales and marketing and started her own business[3] in the insurance field.[4]

In 2010, she started the six-novel series The Envy Chronicles, written using the pen name Joss Ware. In 2011, she wrote The Regency Draculia trilogy.”

She has also written short stories. In 2010, she collaborated with Mary Balogh, Susan Krinard and Janet Mullany in a paranormal tribute to Jane Austen, writing "Northanger Castle" for the book Bespelling Jane Austen, published on October 1, 2010.[5]”

NARRATOR:
Jayne Entwistle
From “thejayneshow” .com:
“Jayne was born in the North of England and lived in a myriad of places (Vancouver, San Francisco, Tucson, Sequim, Seattle) before landing in Los Angeles. She is an avid improviser who hitched her space-work wagon to Patrick Bristow’s company, Improvatorium, where she studied, taught, directed and performed improv.

She is an award-winning audiobook narrator best known for her narration of the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. She also received the 2015 Odyssey Honour Award for The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry and the 2016 Odyssey Award for, The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

When not inhaling books for work or pleasure, Jayne works in film, television and commercials. The biggest star she has ever worked with is Shaquille O’Neal. He is quite literally THE biggest star she has ever worked with. Ever. He’s really big!”

LOCATION(S)
London

TIME(S)
1889

SUBJECTS:
Time travel; vampires; vampire slayers; Sherlock Holmes characters; kidnappings

DEDICATION:
Not found.

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1, Miss Holmes, Miss Adler is Tardy
“I reside in the very modernized London during the fifty-second year of Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s reign. Our Prime Minister is Lord Salisbury, and Parliament is led by the esteemed Lord Cosgrove-Pitt.
My nation is besotted with science, evolution, and invention. If a device can be conceived, someone somewhere is determined that it should be built (which is the only explanation I have for the unfortunate Hystand’s Mechanized Eyelash-Combe).
This proliferation of invention and scientific practice is why I found it both amazing and disappointing that no one had yet invented a working time machine. And the reason I felt this disappointment looked up at me with deep blue eyes.
“Good morning, Dylan,” I said as I closed Miss Irene Adler’s office door behind me.
Though I’d expected to find the dark-haired woman sitting at a large desk in her Darjeeling-scented chamber, I confess I wasn’t at all disappointed to find the young man instead. In fact, to my chagrin, my cheeks heated and my insides gave a little flutter the instant I saw him.”

RATING:.
4

STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
1-18-2023 to 1-23-2023… (plus d'informations)

Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: COPYRIGHT: 10/6/2015; ISBN: 978-1452143170; PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books; PAGES: 360; UNABRIDGED (Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years; Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 920L; Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 – 12)
Digital: Available

* (This version) Audio: COPYRIGHT: 1 September 2017; ISBN: ‎ 9781509453320; PUBLISHER: Avid Press; DURATION: 9:35:23; Unabridged; (Overdrive LAPL)

Feature Film or tv: No

SERIES: Stoker & Homes, Book 3

MAIN CHARACTERS: (Not all inclusive and spelling could be wrong—I was listening, not reading)
Miss Alvemina (Mina) Holmes – Niece of Sherlock
Miss Evaline Stoker – Sister of Bram Stoker
Richard Dancy – a gentleman with romantic interest for Evaline
Ambrose Greyling – an Inspector
Angus – Greyling’s dog described as a Basset Hound but referred to as a Beagle
Irene Adler
Dylan Eckhert
Pix
Princess Lurelia of Betrovia
Princess of Wales (Alex / Alexandra)
Queen Victoria

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it. It was the next book in the series.
What it was about: Sherlock Holmes’ niece and Graham Stoker’s sister, both aged 17, team up to assist Irene Adler solve another mystery, this one involving a missing chess queen and a princess.
What I thought: As with the previous two books: Well done. I enjoy the steampunk genre, the characters, and the story held my interest. I also enjoy the humor and the author's vocabulary.

AUTHOR:
Colleen Gleason
From Wikipedia:
“Colleen Gleason lives near Ann Arbor, Michigan[1] with her husband and children.[2][3] She has a degree in English and a MBA from the University of Michigan.[1] She started writing in primary school and wrote nine complete stories before selling the first book of her The Gardella Vampire Chronicles[3] series to a division of Penguin Books, which published it in January 2007:[3] the series arrives at a conclusion on March 2009. In 2008 she wrote a short story, a prequel to the series, titled In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead, published first in the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, then as Victoria Gardella: Vampire Slayer. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in sales and marketing and started her own business[3] in the insurance field.[4]

In 2010, she started the six-novel series The Envy Chronicles, written using the pen name Joss Ware. In 2011, she wrote The Regency Draculia trilogy.”

She has also written short stories. In 2010, she collaborated with Mary Balogh, Susan Krinard and Janet Mullany in a paranormal tribute to Jane Austen, writing "Northanger Castle" for the book Bespelling Jane Austen, published on October 1, 2010.[5]”

NARRATOR:
Jayne Entwistle
From “thejayneshow” .com:
“Jayne was born in the North of England and lived in a myriad of places (Vancouver, San Francisco, Tucson, Sequim, Seattle) before landing in Los Angeles. She is an avid improviser who hitched her space-work wagon to Patrick Bristow’s company, Improvatorium, where she studied, taught, directed and performed improv.

She is an award-winning audiobook narrator best known for her narration of the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. She also received the 2015 Odyssey Honour Award for The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry and the 2016 Odyssey Award for, The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

When not inhaling books for work or pleasure, Jayne works in film, television and commercials. The biggest star she has ever worked with is Shaquille O’Neal. He is quite literally THE biggest star she has ever worked with. Ever. He’s really big!”
As always, I enjoyed Jaynes narration.

LOCATION(S)
London

TIME(S)
1889

SUBJECTS:
Time travel; vampires; vampire slayers; Sherlock Holmes characters; Chess game; Great Britain, Byzantine antiquities

DEDICATION:
“To
Darlene Domanik March
Talented artist,
Inspiring reacher,
Dear friend”

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1, Miss Stoker, An Astonishing Request
"In the distance, Big Ben's round face glowed dully behind strands of heavy night clouds. Pikes, pipes and the pitches of rooftops, along with the unmistakable spire of the Oligary Building, jutted upward in an infinite black jumble.
I'd done the right thing, staking that vampire.
I was a vampire hunter. That was my calling, my legacy. I couldn't second-guess my duty.
But Willa Ashton's accusations and her enraged expression still haunted me, both during the day and in my naightmares. 'You killed Robby! You murdered my brother!'
A shadow across the street, sleek and catlike, caught my attention. All thoughts of Miss Ashton and her brother fled, along with the last bit of sleepiness.
I recognized that shadow.
It took only a moment to whip off my nightdress and yank on a pair of boots, a chemise, and a short, simple gown (in that order). I was still buckling my new front-fastening over-corset when I climbed out the window."

RATING:.
4
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
1-23-2023 to 1-29-2023… (plus d'informations)

The Carnelian Crow by Colleen Gleason

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: COPYRIGHT: 4/8/2022; ISBN: 978- 1944665869; PUBLISHER: Avid Press; PAGES: 262; UNABRIDGED (Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years; Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 920L; Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 – 12)

Digital: Available

* (This version) Audio: COPYRIGHT: 1/23/2018; ISBN: ‎ 9781509476015; PUBLISHER: Avid Press; DURATION: 9:37:19; Unabridged; (Overdrive LAPL)

Feature Film or tv: No

SERIES: Stoker & Homes, Book 4

MAIN CHARACTERS: (spelling could be wrong—I was listening, not reading—not comprehensive list)
Miss Alvemina (Mina) Holmes – Niece of Sherlock
Miss Evaline Stoker – Sister of Bram Stoker
Ambrose Greyling – an Inspector
Angus – Greyling’s dog described as a Basset Hound but referred to as a Beagle
Irene Adler
Dylan Eckhert
Pix

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it. It was the next book in the series.
What it was about: Sherlock Holmes’ niece and Graham Stoker’s sister, both aged 17, team up to assist Irene Adler solve another mystery, this one involving a secret club.
What I thought: As with the previous two books: Well done. I enjoy the steampunk genre and the descriptions of costumes and events and I’m attached to the characters. As mentioned before, I also enjoy the vocabulary and the humor the author employs.

AUTHOR:
Colleen Gleason
From Wikipedia:
“Colleen Gleason lives near Ann Arbor, Michigan[1] with her husband and children.[2][3] She has a degree in English and a MBA from the University of Michigan.[1] She started writing in primary school and wrote nine complete stories before selling the first book of her The Gardella Vampire Chronicles[3] series to a division of Penguin Books, which published it in January 2007:[3] the series arrives at a conclusion on March 2009. In 2008 she wrote a short story, a prequel to the series, titled In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead, published first in the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, then as Victoria Gardella: Vampire Slayer. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in sales and marketing and started her own business[3] in the insurance field.[4]

In 2010, she started the six-novel series The Envy Chronicles, written using the pen name Joss Ware. In 2011, she wrote The Regency Draculia trilogy.”

She has also written short stories. In 2010, she collaborated with Mary Balogh, Susan Krinard and Janet Mullany in a paranormal tribute to Jane Austen, writing "Northanger Castle" for the book Bespelling Jane Austen, published on October 1, 2010.[5]”

NARRATOR:
Jayne Entwistle
From “thejayneshow” .com:
“Jayne was born in the North of England and lived in a myriad of places (Vancouver, San Francisco, Tucson, Sequim, Seattle) before landing in Los Angeles. She is an avid improviser who hitched her space-work wagon to Patrick Bristow’s company, Improvatorium, where she studied, taught, directed and performed improv.

She is an award-winning audiobook narrator best known for her narration of the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. She also received the 2015 Odyssey Honour Award for The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry and the 2016 Odyssey Award for, The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

When not inhaling books for work or pleasure, Jayne works in film, television and commercials. The biggest star she has ever worked with is Shaquille O’Neal. He is quite literally THE biggest star she has ever worked with. Ever. He’s really big!”
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed Jayne’s narration!

LOCATION(S)
London

TIME(S)
1889

GENRE
Fantasy; Mystery; Historical Fiction; Young Adult Fiction; Steampunk

SUBJECTS:
Time travel; vampires; vampire slayers; Sherlock Holmes characters; Great Britain; Girls and Women’s issues

DEDICATION:
Not found

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1, “Miss Holmes ~In Which Miss Holmes Is Outsmarted by a Corvus~”
" There was a soft tapping at my window.
Normally it wouldn't have disturbed me, as I am blessed with the ability to slumber deeply, but tonight I was wide awake. Unfortunately, that had been the case for many weeks now. The dark circles beneath my eyes ahd become large and puffy enough that even Mrs. Raskill had seen fit to make comment.
Declining to rise unless I ascertained that someone or something needed entrance to my bedchamber--the most likely candidate being Miss Stoker, of course, considering the mode of entrance--I peered at the window from the warm comfort of my bed.
In the distance, I could hear the constant hum of the mechanized world in which I reside: the dull click of cogs and wheels, a rhythmic clunk of clockworks and pulleys, and the hiss of steam emitting from the very corner of London.
Tap, tap, tap.
I sat up. It was a raven--or perhaps a crow; I couldn't see the shape of its tail, and the difference between the two jet-black specimens in the Corvus genus are hardly discernible otherwise.
And this particular raven (or crow) was using its beak to tap at my window.
How extraordinary.
"Go away," I suggested flatly, certain the creature could not only hear me, but comprehend. They are amazingly intelligent birds. "I'm sleeping."

RATING:.
4

STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
1-28-2023 to 2-17-2023… (plus d'informations)