Book #30

[asra]

I just finished rereading Jamyang Norbu's Sherlock Holmes: The Missing Years, aka The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. (I set myself a reading goal of 52 books this year, hence the title of this post; although, considering it's already September, I don't think I'm going to complete the challenge this year.) I read it twenty years ago when it was first published, and reread it now since one of my students is doing her dissertation on it. It's about Holmes's post-Reichenbach time in Tibet from when he's pretending to be dead in the gap between "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House".

Some of it didn't stand up well to a second read, but THE END, THE END! Pretty much every review I've read of Kamila Shamsie's Home Fire says that you ~must read it, if only for the very last page, and I have to say the same of Norbu's Holmes. If you're a Sherlock Holmes fan, whether ACD or Granada or BBC or whichever version, read this book for the last few lines. (It's a bit like the very last scene of An Adventure in Space and Time for Doctor Who fans.)

Re fandom things, I'm pretty disappointed that neither of my recipients for the last two exchanges I participated in responded to their gifts. Oh, well. I did manage an spn_masquerade fill, and I enjoyed writing it, so that's something.

Also also, yuletide nominations are open!

Hope everyone is doing well. <3 LLAP!

Comments

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear from you again!

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Likewise! :-)

[marciaelena.livejournal.com]

Your recipients didn't comment on their gift fics? That's so rude; I'd be pretty upset about it too if it were me. I always try to find something positive to say about the gifts I receive, even when it isn't really the kind of thing I like. I feel like I have to be grateful for the time and effort they put into it, at the very least.

I haven't caught up with masquerade yet, but I'm excited to hear you wrote a fill. <3

What exactly is this yuletide thing?

All the love, bb, always. <3 <3 <3

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's been pretty disappointing. I'm hoping they missed the fics altogether; that's better than thinking they didn't respond because they weren't happy.

Thanks, darling. <3 Sometimes a no-pressure, anon-type thing is exactly what's needed. I'll probably de-anon since I don't hate how it turned out. :-)

Yuletide is the annual Secret Santa type exchange for small fandoms! This will be my ninth year participating, and I love it. It's the only hope there is to read/write fic for some of my all-time favourite books/films such as The Talented Mr Ripley and The English Patient. The eligibility criteria is that there should be fewer than 1,000 existing fics for the fandom (on AO3 and FF.net combined, I think). I was thinking of nominating The Christmas Cottage; it's such a lovely film, and I love that Jared got to work with Peter O'Toole.

♥ ♥ ♥

[glovered.livejournal.com]

(butting in) Yuletide is the best!!!

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recommendation. I've never heard of the book and I see my library has it.

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Great! I have the ebook too, in case you can't get hold of it.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Yes, thanks for the rec! It sounds interesting. You hooked me with, "but that end!" ;D

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Hope I haven't raised expectations too high. :-D

[glovered.livejournal.com]

Two things:

1. I love that you saying "an spn_masquerade fill" means you prounounce it "ess-pee-en". I've always called it "spin."

2. I nominated three fandoms for Yuletide that I hold very dear to my heart: People of Earth (awesome show if you haven't seen it?), Crashing (also amazing, although it had such lady-love potential then was canceled?), and Him & Her, a show that I can't really recommend to anyone because it is pretty gross but it is hilarious and heartwarming and has a really great gay romance. What did you nominate?

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Haha, I never even thought of 'spin'! That sounds way better than my three-syllabled version.

Those sound great - I must check them out! I nominated my usual suspects, The Talented Mr Ripley and The English Patient. Which - Ripley, if you haven't watched it, is ~stellar (if devastating). *points to icon* Also The God of Small Things, because it's criminal that there's only one fanfic for it on AO3.

[glovered.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched either of those! I am totally ready to be devastated, they are now on my list. I remember reading The God of Small Things in high school and loving it. Maybe it's very daunting to imagine writing fic for it?? It's so beautifully written.

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

I'm so pleased to hear of your willingness to be devastated. *g*

I absolutely recommend Roy's second novel too. The main character is trans. :-)