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I read the book many years ago, and the "insomnia plague" still sticks with me as one of the most magical things I've read. For those of you who found it too long, I recommend nearly anything by Jorge Luis Borges. He is a fellow "magic-realist" (as that school of writing is sometimes called)...

Ms., I may argue with the percentages, but there's no denying that Buk (and all of the other Beats that I've read) are very uneven in their output. I've always said of Bukowski that a lot of his writing isn't much to get excited about, but . . . when he is on, he turns out pure genius. I'm...

I would recommend that all Bukowski fans who only know his fiction should be sure to check out Screams from the Balcony (the first volume of Buk's collected letters) and Notes of a Dirty Old Man (a collection of newspaper columns he wrote). In many ways, they contain writing that is more...

I took a quick look at my shelves and found Holmes related titles (mostly pastiches) by the following: Larry Millett Laurie R. King L.B. Greenwood Nicholas Meyer Quinn Fawcett Carole Nelson Douglas John Gardner Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Wayne Worcester Michaale Hardwick Cay Van Ash Robert...

Well, the Nero Wolfe (by Rex Stout) books shouldn't be too hard to find if you aren't particularly fussy about the editions. They've been printed nearly continuously since they were written. The Solar Pons series (by August Derleth) is harder to come by, though I've found the first three...

I know that I posted in this thread already, but it seems to have been a hundred years ago. So, in answer to your question as I now understand it, the "counterculture canon" does exist. And, it seems to me that it's relevance continues, if for no ther reason that additions are still being...

I, for one, very much enjoyed The Name of the Rose simply as a mystery. The fact that it also dramatically portrays a world in which the most dangerous, or most coveted, or most feared, possessions were books. In this day and age, it is a staggering thought. Foucault's Pendulum, even, prob'ly...

Well, since you asked . . . For the most part, when I am not working at one thing or another, I tend to find myself cruising through all the local thrift stores looking for books. After a very nice run of luck a couple of weeks ago, the lucky finds seem to be running out. (My last purchase...

Newt, I took it that you were looking for something not in the nature of Stephenson, et al. If that is so, you might find these books worth a try: A Fan's Notes - Fred Exley Ask the Dust - John Fante The Knockout Artist - Harry Crews The Mezzanine - Nicholson Baker The Field of Vision -...

Well, Shade, if I might presume to speak for Chandler, I would say that he would be very glad to hear you say so. In his letters, he often said that he thought that readers would like character-driven mysteries as much as plot-driven mysteries; and that genre fiction and great fiction were not...

Well, oddly enough, I have recently focused on finding books which feature Holmes by people other than Conan Doyle. I've read most of Laurie King's Mary Russell books and liked them (though I still think the first may be the best of the lot). At any rate, some other authors you might want to...

Yes, that can be quite annoying. Like you, I would much rather read about a fallible, believable character. You might enjoy, if I remember correctly, a few books by Marianne MacDonald (Smoke Screen, Ghost Walk, and Death's Autograph) which feature Dido Hoare. She is book dealer with a habit...

That certainly sounds interesting. I read Zen Attitude largely because the plot has something to do with an antique chest of drawers (if I remember correctly). But, I read it fresh off running through Jonathan Gash's "Lovejoy" mysteries, which seemed to me to be more directly connected with...

I read Zen Attitude a couple of years ago. I don't really remember much about it other than the barest essentials of the plot. I don't think that I disliked the book, but evidently, it didn't make much of an impression.

Since no one else is likely to do so, I'll put in a vote for the Pennsylvania Dutch accent. It' s hard to describe, but "garage", for instance, comes soundng like "crotch" and "j"s often sound something like "ch"s. I grew up speaking "Pennsyl-tucky", but the "Dutch" is wearing off on me some.

Thanks, Venus, for the capsule review. I certainly don't need to add to my TBR pile, but I've been thinking about reading something "different". Maybe it'll be Wilkie Collins.

I couldn't agree more about The Rule of Four, and I agree with the recommendation of Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. You might want, also, to try Neal Stephenson's The Cryptonomicon. One of the two related plots revolves around codes, WWII, and a literal mountain of gold.

I haven't read it, but I bought The Woman in White and The Moonstone because of that same description. I look forward to hearing more about it.

I live about 1.5 hours WNW of Philadelphia. Until recently, say 20 years ago, just about everything around here was either cornfields or cow pastures. Now, unfortunately, "McMansions" are springing up everywhere and a third Wal-mart is going up within 10 miles of my front door. Ugh!

The unlucky soul who'd snatch up my "book in progress" might lose an arm. If I see someone reading somewhere, I may go out of my way to see the title, but would never dream of picking up said book. Luckily, everyone I know is aware of my book attitudes and kindly obey my rules.