tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post2448314974877333548..comments2024-03-29T03:19:09.227-04:00Comments on The Philosopher's Stone: WHAT I AM READINGRobert Paul Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-24351888372817392372016-09-18T22:51:31.116-04:002016-09-18T22:51:31.116-04:00Ahh, yes, the Beck series. Thanks for reminding me...Ahh, yes, the Beck series. Thanks for reminding me. Makes the current crop of Scandinavian dour look silly. Brilliant series.<br />David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612242467208247588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-19826301037686182722016-09-18T22:47:40.326-04:002016-09-18T22:47:40.326-04:00By far my favorite murder mysteries are the Martin...By far my favorite murder mysteries are the Martin Beck series by the Swedish couple Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, who, as it happens, were Marxists. I've read the whole series twice.Ludwig Richterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17145442092958521609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-69180528340343246652016-09-18T18:16:17.253-04:002016-09-18T18:16:17.253-04:00David, I had not heard of those. Thank you.David, I had not heard of those. Thank you.Robert Paul Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-77402366036295230042016-09-18T17:56:23.594-04:002016-09-18T17:56:23.594-04:00please fix all typos in my last post.please fix all typos in my last post.David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612242467208247588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-41464262744555240642016-09-18T17:55:20.613-04:002016-09-18T17:55:20.613-04:00OK, more suggestions. There's a series set in ...OK, more suggestions. There's a series set in 19th century Istanbul and the "detective" is a eunuch. Lots of historical detail (how the water system works, the fire system, etc.) plus political history. And witty. Jason Goodwin is the author.<br /><br />The Lindsey Davis series set in ancient Rome are great. (each one highlights a different infra-structural detail of the Empire: water system, food system, olive oil trade, metals mining, all organized around a low-born "detective" carrying on both tasks for the Empire and with a Senator's daughter. Lots of fun.<br /><br />(I don't always enjoy rereading, the Nero Wolfes stand up well, and it was to read again his take-down of Hoover.)<br /><br />And the Reginald Hill series featuring Pascoe are delightful and feature a level of writing skill that's uncommon.David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612242467208247588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-82844490415071633412016-09-18T14:37:48.302-04:002016-09-18T14:37:48.302-04:00Alas, I have read every one of them! Also, virtua...Alas, I have read every one of them! Also, virtually all the Agatha christie, Josephine Tey, John Dickson carr [and Carter Dickson] mysteries, as well of course as all the old Sherlock Holmes stories, and many many more. Evidence of a misspent life. :)<br /><br />Robert Paul Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-75424078798621156232016-09-18T13:47:34.622-04:002016-09-18T13:47:34.622-04:00The old joke about a certain prolfic romance nove...The old joke about a certain prolfic romance novelist comes to mind: She's written more books than she's read.<br /><br />I've recently rediscovered (and am re-reading/re-listening) the delights of a old mystery series that is a sort of cross between a Holmesian setup and hard-boiled. Also witty. Namely, the Nero Wolfe series (by Rex Stout). The portrait of a certain strata/era (late 30s through early 70s) in NYC is a nice side-effect. E.g., the narrator is often going into a drugstore to find a phone booth. As is the way of series, some are better than others. David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612242467208247588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-40193232319531466122016-09-18T12:46:09.467-04:002016-09-18T12:46:09.467-04:00Have you ever read The Goat Feast by Mario Vargas ...Have you ever read The Goat Feast by Mario Vargas Llosa? I think that you'd enjoy it.<br /><br />It's about the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, narrated by a fictional woman who as a young girl was raped by Trujillo (who had the right to all the virgins) and who returns to the Dominican Republican many years later to come to terms with her childhood and with the society she grew up in. Very readable and very well researched in historical terms, as are Vargas Llosa's novels in general.s. wallersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17448905469871566228noreply@blogger.com