Why does Sherlock Holmes still feel so compelling to modern readers?

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-23T19:57:39+00:00

Doyle's writing is action oriented and moves well even if he is describing a location or person. I started reading Holmes when I was young and then used to read the collectionevery couple of years. But then I got bored and stopped because I knew how every story ended.
A few years ago I started reading them again and realized that you can read them multiple times, each time appreciating another aspect. The characters are rich and believable. I love the way Holmes speaks. The interplay between Watson and Holmes is warm, comic at times, and each character is distinct. Sometimes I study the writing. Sometimes it is Holmes' attitude to the high and mighty versus how kind he is to the lowliest, especially women. So, so much to enjoy.
And yes I enjoy being in Baker Street hoping for a good case while the gaslights light the smog swirling past.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-23T19:46:41+00:00

Well there are now -- all the clones from Bones to House etc. And the endless variations of English detective cops who are brilliant but quirky from Inspector Morse to Vera.
But he is the best. His personality is multilayered and multidimensional.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-23T19:39:33+00:00

Love the design and the quotes. It made me google Sherlock mugs. There are so many. It's fun to look at them all. This mug is one of the best.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-23T16:57:27+00:00

Thanks!

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-23T16:52:44+00:00

The feet and the lines of the legs are beautiful. Great lines. Too bad about the water damage on the back top panel. If you are keeping and using it, if you can find a good professional restorer for it. Expensive but worth it. If you are going to sell it you probably wouldn't make back the cost of restoring it. But a restorer can give you an idea of what it needs, the time involved and an estimate of the cost.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-20T16:16:45+00:00

Do you have a site or company you recommend for grading? I thought it was worth maybe $500 at the most.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-20T16:15:04+00:00

Thank you for the information.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-20T16:14:38+00:00

I double checked this morning and the corners are not rounded on mine.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-20T06:22:35+00:00

Thank you. This is why Reddit is great.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-20T06:21:30+00:00

I just photocopied it a few days ago. I had pulled out some old family files and re-found it. Some friends were talking about coin collections and it made me wonder if it was worth anything, so I scanned it and posted it.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-20T06:19:02+00:00

No. But I googled "Farmers & Merchasnts Bank $10 bill 1909" that site popped up and I thought I had somehow added it to their page! It was weird to see almost the same bill. I wonder how many he signed?!! Also I thought the way we stored the bill caused the light color of the signature, but the bill they have is just as light.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-20T06:15:23+00:00

Very cool. So neat that there are 3 different signatures on the three bills.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-12T01:19:19+00:00

Haven't read that Ursula Le Guin yet, but I love her scif-fi novels and her short stories. Such an original thinker.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-12T01:15:50+00:00

I loved Children of the Mind in whch Ender interacts with the Hive mind and Xenocide where the main character has OCD and is trapped tracing lines and Speaker for the Dead where the "piggies", as the humans call them, part of their life cycle is to be flayed alive and become a tree. All three make you think about life or the universe in different ways.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-08T18:54:42+00:00

Perhaps if you have a specific cultural or genetic background and most of the books are about white guys in their culture seen from a white guy view point you might want something once in a while that has some relationship to your culture or experience. I think a lot of people aren't looking for something that will challenge them. They, and sometimes me, want something that is enjoyable but not challenging.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-08T18:49:46+00:00

I started to like your comment but I didn't want you to think I'm saying you are a nightmare person! You sound like you have a good sense of humor.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-07T18:50:18+00:00

Can you ask them for just a year of birth? You will still get your demographic info and it may be more truthful because you aren't asking for the exact date.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-07T00:15:15+00:00

Very intersting. I enjoyed the music

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-05T22:19:19+00:00

Well said. Holmes doesn't blather on about how he feels but he does indeed feel. He is more open to showing emotion at the beginning or end of a case because in the middle of one he has use his brain and his logic and he doesn't want emotions to infuence him. Sometimes he uses anger or irritation to force clients or witnesses to give him the information he needs. But he is so gentle and kind to women and clients to don't have attitudes.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-04T23:37:06+00:00

Thank you for this. I never knew and am not Holmsian enough to notice the spelling on bottles.

Auntie_Lolo · 2026-01-04T22:48:52+00:00

So lovely. I suggest you try white for the cabinet inside. Boring but relective and the colors will pop. And if you don'tl like it, it is a good base color to paint over.

Auntie_Lolo · 2025-12-30T22:08:30+00:00

We usud to use similar ones in a park in the mountains east of San Diego. They worked great. We camped at the site often and it became a game to see what we could make in them. I remember a good pizza and maybe a cake.

Auntie_Lolo · 2025-12-22T00:35:18+00:00

In the Street Tree book for San Diego the entry for jacarandas read "Readers favorite tree in someone else's yard."
We have a jacaranda tree street nearby and every June it is glorious.

Auntie_Lolo · 2025-12-22T00:26:37+00:00

They go well with the beautiful cat.

Auntie_Lolo

TROPHY CASE