i am not a bookworm!: The Ghost of Sherlock Holmes by Paul Voodini

Sherlock Holmes, the famous sleuth and master of deduction. Was he even real or just a product of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's very creative imagination?

The year is 1922, it was New Year's Eve. Our host, the storyteller in this book, is having a special dinner. He is a dubious Sherlock Holmes collector and is very eager to showcase his collection to his guests. As per our host, Sherlock Holmes character was based on a real person - a Dr. James Bell, who like the great detective has great personality profiling prowess. So, let's get the party started. Our host can't wait to boast the new additions to his collections.

The Ghost of Sherlock Holmes by Paul Voodini Book Review

The book was not what I expected. I thought I would be reading of my favorite fictional character's haunting. Yes, sue me for not reading the blurb. When I saw the title, I immediately signed up for the giveaway. It got me at Sherlock. Well, it wasn't all for naught. This book is very informative and I have learned a lot. If I were a magic enthusiast, I would find this book a treasure of secrets. This felt like "the magician's secrets revealed". Not too mention, the author's name is Voodini. You know - Houdini? The famous magician. I was entertained and wasn't a bit disappointed that this was not about Sherlock coming from the dead. I am actually really glad that I signed up for this book. I think I will have my nephew read this one. He is not fond of reading but I think if I tell him that this book will teach him very handy magic tricks he can show off to his friends, I believe he will be interested to read this. I am very hopeful. I have yet to tell him though. I am crossing my fingers. That's how much I enjoyed this book. I am confident that my nephew will actually take an interest to read it. This would be a good start for him to join the bookworms. That is one of my life goals. To draw my nephews and niece to join the age-old-book-worshiping-cult. I also have one friend in mind who will find this book very useful but I lost contact with him. Maybe, if I see him again, I will tell him about this book. You can thank me later Mr. Voodini.

I think this book taught me a way to do a cold reading of a person's personality by using cards. Ah, what is cold reading? Cold reading is reading a personality cold - without previous knowledge. Meaning, you do not know or have met that person before to be able to judge his/her personality properly. I think it would come very handy in getting to know people. I can actually imagine myself dealing out the cards and asking people I will meet in my future travels to pick random cards and I will read his/her personality just by looking at them. The cards, I mean. Amazing, huh? It's a good way to break the ice. I will have to practice it first with my friends. And of course, not to forget to get my own deck of cards. Maybe I can add this skill to my resume?

So, why is this book called The Ghost of Sherlock Holmes? It is because the magic tricks in here are explained thoroughly by Sherlock and how he would have done it. All in all, this is not just a book of tricks but also a peek into the secrets of Sherlocks' abilities. How we can at least emulate him in a teeny-tiny way.

I give this book three and a half aces. I think it was too short. I think it should be longer. I wanted more. There should be a sequel. And since this book was talking about Sherlock, there were a lot of Sherlock Holmes-based books that were listed at the end of the pages. I have noted them and will start hunting them soon. For all those who love everything Sherlock, this book is for you. This would also be a good Christmas gift for kids. I am sure they will find the tricks very awesome. This would be like an apprentice's guide to performing impressive magic.