"The Hound of the Baskervilles" by A. Conan Doyle

I've read this book 4 times since I started this blog in 2013.  I read it in 2013, led a read-along of it in 2014, read it again in 2016 but didn't review it, and now I've read it again.  Can you tell I love it?  It is, in fact, my favorite Sherlock Holmes story, and I get in the mood for it every October.  Some years I read it, some years I watch a filmed adaptation of it, kind of depends on what I've got going on.

This year, I'm teaching it to several homeschooled high schoolers, which is so much fun.  I love teaching others about books I love!  

What draws me to this book?  The characters, of course.  Hanging out with Holmes and Watson is one of my dearest fictional joys.  The mystery is solid, though because I know how it goes, it doesn't surprise me anymore.  But it's such a strong story that it still sucks me in, and I get all caught up in running around the moor in pursuit of justice.  

This is one of the most atmospheric books I've ever read.  The whole thing oozes eerieness, all foggy and damp and dark and ghastly.  I love trying to figure out how Doyle captured that feeling and sustained it for so many chapters.  The pacing in general is absolutely perfect, pulling us inexorably forward, but never rushing.  Brilliant.

Because I counted this for my first go-round with the Classics Club, I'm not counting it this time.  Just so you know.  

Particularly Good Bits:

There, outlined as black as an ebony statue on that shining background, I saw the figure of a man upon the tor... He stood with his legs a little separated, his arms folded, his head bowed, as if he were brooding over that enormous wilderness of peat and granite which lay before him.  He might have been the very spirit of that terrible place (p. 98).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  PG for suspense and scary images.

This is my fourth and final book read for the Reams of Rereads event.  Yay!  I met my goal!