#1 Stop on the London Book Lover's Tour: 221b Baker Street

"My friend here wants to take diggings, and as you were complaining that you could get no one to go halves with you, I thought that I had better bring you together."

Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms with me.  "I have my eye on a suite in Baker Street," he said, "which would suit us down to the ground.  You don't mind the smell of strong tobacco, I hope?"

"I always smoke 'ship's myself," I answered.

George, of the Scotland Yard!

Thus begins one of the best friendships (dare I say bromance?) in literary history:  that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, sleuth and sidekick of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and short stories.  Sure enough, 221b Baker Street is a real place, now fashioned into the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

It's impossible to miss.  Being small, only about fifteen people are allowed at once, which means there's always a huge line out the door.  (My friend and I waited for an hour and a half…).  Keeping watch are workers dressed in Scotland Yard garb :)

Upon entering, you'll go up to the first floor and find yourself in what is fashioned to look like Holmes's and Watson's living room.  Yes, you can sit in the chairs in front of the fireplace, and if you're so inclined, try on their hats.  Next door is Holmes's bedroom.

I'm in Watson's chair and Josh is in Holmes's in the living room of 221b Baker Street.

Wax figures of Watson and Holmes.

The next floor features "artifacts."  What's interesting about this museum is that it passes off Holmes and Watson as real people, their stories as true histories.  For example, a glass case will house a ring and the card will say, "The ring Holmes discovered in A Study in Scarlet," or something like that (I don't remember exactly what the objects were).  That was very strange to me, but whatever.  I like to believe :)

Though the top floor is probably the most bizarre.  There you'll find several wax figures that depict the classic scenes.  Kind of cool, but also kind of scary.

Naturally, you can conclude the tour by stopping in the gift shop next door, where you can find magnifying glasses, pipes, hats, and all sorts of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.

London: A Book Lover's Paradise

That's me in front of Parliament!

Well, Study Abroad 2013 is officially over.  The semester has finished and I've fled Sevilla's sunshine to the clouds of London, where I'm staying with family for two weeks.

Honestly, I didn't expect a lot from London.  I anticipated it would be just like New York, or Madrid, or Barcelona, or any other big city I've visited:  dirty, crowded, generic.

I was wrong.

My first glance at Big Ben!

Apart from the weather, London is gorgeous.  The old-fashioned houses, the palaces and fortresses, the shops, the parks, everything.  But what makes it especially fun is that no matter where you turn, you recognize something iconic:  Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, etcetera.

But what I love most about London is it's literary history.  Whether the home of a renowned writer or the setting of a classic, London has featured prominently in the book world.

Yes, that would be Buckingham Palace.

Over the next few days, I'm going to give a little virtual tour of London for Book Lovers.  So stop by!  If you know of anything interesting, tell me in the comments:  I have until Sunday to thoroughly explore :)

Truth!

Blind Date with a Book

I saw this on Tumblr.  Each book was wrapped in paper, on which was written a few words which described the subject.  So you literally cannot judge the book by its cover.  Kind of neat, but I do love cover art :)

"Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is." - Rhett Butler

500 pages into Gone with the Wind, and Rhett Butler is well on his way to becoming my all-time favorite literary character.  Not because he's handsome and charming and smart, while also being the epitome of Southern bad-boy (though all these things help), but because he's entertaining.  Every scene in which he partakes in dialogue, I end up laughing out loud.  His blunt, sarcastic comments keep me turning pages way faster than any of Scarlett O'Hara's wild whims.

But, I'm not so sure if he's earned the title of favorite character.  I can hardly choose a favorite book; selecting a favorite character is ten times harder.  Still, I have a list (though they're not ranked in any particular order), and Rhett has now joined the ranks of:

• Dr. Livesey, the cool-headed, doctor who's kind yet still badass enough to fight pirates in one of my favorites,  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
• Javert, the inspector who devotes his life to arresting Jean Valjean, but eventually has a change of heart, in Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.
• Uncas, literally the last of the Mohicans, in James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans.  He doesn't talk much, but his daring deeds to rescue the damsel-in-distress speak for themselves.
• Severus Snape and Sirius Black, both bad-but-actually-good wizards of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.  Pretty self-explanatory.
• Elizabeth Bennett.  Again, self-explanatory.  Strong despite hardships, smart and tactful, with a good heart.  The famous heroine of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.
• Jay Gatsby, the wealthy former bootlegger of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.  To be played by Leonardo di Caprio in the upcoming movie (SO EXCITED).
• Colonel Aureliano Buendía, the amateur alchemist-slash-war hero of Gabriel García Márquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, who somehow manages to appear in practically every one of Márqeuz's works.

And plenty more who have earned my favor -- which I don't bestow lightly upon literary characters.  Several months after finishing the books, I'm still debating whether to give the honor to The Hunger Games's Haymitch Abernathy.  I like him--I like him a lot (especially when played by Woody Harrelson)--but I'm not sure if he has earned his way onto THE LIST.

What about you?  Who are your favorite characters of all time?

Book Stalking

Check this out!  If you love creeping (and who doesn't?), this is an interesting way to see what people are reading around the world.

http://www.bookdepository.com/live

Yet another way to get distracted.