Litsy

The Answer Is No | Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma (Translator)

pick

A good story, about an introvert being dragged into interactions with his neighbors. Lucas loves his life, but when the apartment board wants him to get involved, it all goes to hell. Not a whole lot of action but a lot of introspection. Parts were funny, especially the way he solves his problems at the end.

BooksandCoffee4Me I‘ve had this on my tbr list simply because it keeps appearing on my”Recommended for You” lists. Now that you‘ve described what it‘s about, I‘m moving it to the top of the list. 👍 5d

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dabbe

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#BrucePartingtonPlans

Thoughts, Sherlockians?

Daisey, erzascarletbookgasm, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, Aimeesue, Larkken, Librarybelle, mom2bugnbee, Chrissyreadit, Read4life, StayCurious, CatLass007, Mollyanna, curiouserandcurioser, eeclayton, dabbe, IndoorDame, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, 5feet.of.fury, Tineke, Fr3NcHtOaSt, Blackink_WhitePaper, RayHallucinogen, Pageturner1, PageShifter, AnnR, kimrenee, aroyse, CrystalE02

Bookwomble Oh, I listened to Hugh Bonneville narrating this one earlier in the week. I like this story 😊 1mo

Bookwomble I think Holmes had Cadogan-West down for it initially, to his evident disappointment as he expressed increasing regret that the evidence was stacking against him. Once he had ruled him out, I think Johnson, the senior clerk, was next on his list. His failure to consider that a member of the aristocratic family of Sir James Walter was the culprit is an example, I think, of Holmes's class prejudice. 1mo

Bookwomble As for the lax security, Imperial arrogance and an assumption of security and inviolability? Who, actually, would have the effrontery to trespass into the sacred groves of Empire? I guess today we might call it privilege 1mo

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Librarybelle Completely agree on both counts, @Bookwomble . It‘s also good to see that Holmes is actually human and does think incorrectly from time to time. 1mo

dabbe @Bookwomble True, Johnson would be the logical choice. Still, there is nothing in particular to make one suspect Johnson. He's only in one scene, and says and does nothing to make anyone suspicious of him. Perhaps Doyle should have made him more suspicious to the reader--at least this one! 🤩 1mo

dabbe @Bookwomble 🎯! 1mo

dabbe @Librarybelle @Bookwomble And that he does have the humility to admit it, even calling himself an “ass!“ 🤣 1mo

dabbe @Librarybelle @Bookwomble I also am left wondering this: why did Oberstein leave copies of the agony ads lying about? He seemed to have destroyed all of the other evidence. Did he forget about them? Was he planning to use them and come back to blackmail Valentine later? It seems unbelievably sloppy (and lucky for Holmes). 1mo

Bookwomble I guess Oberstein is no Moriarty! 1mo

eeclayton Well they did have 3 keys, then again, there's a mention of Sir James having kept the 3 keys on the same ring, if I'm not mistaken 🤦
I was wondering about his death, too, I don't think it's ever explained. Suicide? Accident? Knowing who the culprit was in the main case, could he have a hand in it?
1mo

dabbe @Bookwomble #fersure 🎯 1mo

dabbe @eeclayton Ooh, excellent observation! What if James told his brother he was onto him; then, the Colonel could have killed him to quiet him. And, how do we truly know Sir James is dead? We don't see a body, and the only person who tells us he's dead is the bad guy! 1mo

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dabbe

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#BrucePartingtonPlans

Thoughts, Sherlockians?

Daisey, erzascarletbookgasm, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, Aimeesue, Larkken, Librarybelle, mom2bugnbee, Chrissyreadit, Read4life, StayCurious, CatLass007, Mollyanna, curiouserandcurioser, eeclayton, dabbe, IndoorDame, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, 5feet.of.fury, Tineke, Fr3NcHtOaSt, Blackink_WhitePaper, RayHallucinogen, Pageturner1, PageShifter, AnnR, kimrenee, aroyse, CrystalE02

Librarybelle I thought Mycroft‘s comparison of himself to Holmes was interesting—sure, he could solve the crime too, but Holmes is better at ferreting out the truth by visiting locations and talking to people. Imagine those dinner time conversations growing up! 😂 1mo

dabbe @Librarybelle Mycroft may be superior in intellect (even Sherlock has stated this), but Sherlock has grit and mettle to add to his capability in solving a case. Mycroft might be the British government at times, But Holmes is the detective I would want on my case. 🤣 1mo

Librarybelle Me too, @dabbe ! 😂 1mo

Read4life I did like having more of Mycroft in this one. Sherlock is humble when he speaks of Mycroft‘s superior intellect & Mycroft praises Sherlock in a way that is very cerebral vs the way praise is heaped on him by detectives & clients. 1mo

dabbe @Read4life 🎯! You know when Mycroft praises Sherlock, it's probably the highest praise given--since he's supposedly even smarter than his bro. 1mo

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dabbe

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#BrucePartingtonPlans

Thoughts, Sherlockians?

Daisey, erzascarletbookgasm, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, Aimeesue, Larkken, Librarybelle, mom2bugnbee, Chrissyreadit, Read4life, StayCurious, CatLass007, Mollyanna, curiouserandcurioser, eeclayton, dabbe, IndoorDame, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, 5feet.of.fury, Tineke, Fr3NcHtOaSt, Blackink_WhitePaper, RayHallucinogen, Pageturner1, PageShifter, AnnR, kimrenee, aroyse, CrystalE02

Bookwomble Given his previous experiences in such cases, Holmes might have had more regard for the family members of the principles that first came to his notice. The laxity of security seems curious, until you remember the relatively recent instances of heads of state communicating on insecure channels or storing government secrets in the toilets of their holiday homes 🗃️🚽 🧐 1mo

TheLudicReader I tell my students 3 is a magic number in writing all the time. 🤓 1mo

dabbe @TheLudicReader Did you ever watch Schoolhouse Rock? For multiplication, they had a song entitled (wait for it) “3 is a Magic Number.“ It has stuck in my head since I was a kid. If you want to watch it, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8lRKCw2_Pk

#nerdsunite 🤓 1mo

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Librarybelle Yes, @Bookwomble —thinking of security and then the current era of “security” of state secrets. Also, the threats from the East are still threats today. 1mo

dabbe @Librarybelle @Bookwombile Interesting to also note that in every one of these so-called espionages, all of the criminals were family members! And in all three stories, it was only blind luck that kept these documents from being leaked or getting into the wrong hands. 1mo

Bookwomble @Librarybelle @dabbe Subverting an insider is probably a more common tool of espionage than the high jinks of Mission Impossible. 1mo

dabbe @Bookwomble 🎯, especially if said insiders are in desperate need of cold, hard, cash. 1mo

Bookwomble @dabbe In debt and susceptible to blackmail for their indiscretions! 🧐 1mo

34 likes8 comments

dabbe

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#BrucePartingtonPlans

Thoughts, Sherlockians?

Daisey, erzascarletbookgasm, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, Aimeesue, Larkken, Librarybelle, mom2bugnbee, Chrissyreadit, Read4life, StayCurious, CatLass007, Mollyanna, curiouserandcurioser, eeclayton, dabbe, IndoorDame, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, 5feet.of.fury, Tineke, Fr3NcHtOaSt, Blackink_WhitePaper, RayHallucinogen, Pageturner1, PageShifter, AnnR, kimrenee, aroyse, CrystalE02

Bookwomble I like this story, despite Doyle's typical slapdash approach to certain details. As a storyteller, he's more concerned with atmosphere than accuracy, and what would we have to talk about were it otherwise? 😁 1mo

Daisey I enjoyed this one! 1mo

Librarybelle This was a good one! 1mo

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dabbe @Bookwomble Oh, I think atmosphere is so much fun to talk about! In this one, what about the dense fog? Its yellow oils dripping on the window! And would we even have this mystery without it? To me, it was the main character! 🤩 1mo

dabbe @Daisey @Librarybelle Yay! I did, too! The body on the train scene reminded me of the film noir from the 40s, DOUBLE INDEMNITY. If you like those kind of movies, you should see it. It's INCREDIBLE! 🤩 1mo

Read4life I agree that this was a good one. I could “feel” the fog not just “see” it. 1mo

Bookwomble The yellowness and oily quality of the fog tells us that it was actually smog, a poisonous brew of hydrocarbon fumes from millions of coal fires and steam-powered engines supported by a global empire that provided some with great affluence, but which fueled the international conflicts of which espionage was an aspect. No empire, no global war, no military-industrial complex, no submarine plans, no murder, no case for Holmes to investigate. 👇 1mo

Bookwomble The smog is a metaphor for the rot at the heart of empire, though I'm certain Doyle didn't intend it as such. 1mo

eeclayton I enjoyed this story and agree that the fog added an eerie and sinister atmosphere. 1mo

dabbe @Bookwomble Why are you so certain? Inquiring minds are dying to know! 1mo

dabbe @eeclayton The atmosphere totally reminded me of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, too! 1mo

Bookwomble @dabbe Doyle was a supporter of empire, and Holmes's death at Reichenbach was retconned as The Great Hiatus, during which The Great Detective was involved in the Great Game of espionage and political intrigue between the British and Russian empires. Holmes often intervenes on the side of Establishment figures, and at times his respected brother IS the Government, which means he is also the Empire! IRL, Doyle defended British atrocities in the 👇 1mo

Bookwomble ... Boer War, and supported involvement in WWI on political and anti-German grounds. He wasn't above criticising some colonial actions, but I think due to how implemented rather than in objection to the enterprise. 1mo

Bookwomble @Dabbe If you've not read it, I'd recommend Jack London's book, The People of the Abyss as a view into the reality of Holmes's city. He lived in the slums of London for a couple of months to gather materials on the lives of people living in poverty at the heart of empire in 1903. It's a shocking indictment of the then most affluent nation, & so offended the British establishment that London was thrown out of the country and banned from returning.

The People of the Abyss

1mo

dabbe @Bookwomble #stacked! Thanks for sharing this info! 1mo

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Read4life

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

Ready for our discussion.

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes
#BookSpinBingo #readyourebooks #readyourTBR

Cuilin, CBee, dabbe, TheAromaofBooks

dabbe #woohoo! 🤩🤩🤩 1mo

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! 1mo

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LitsyEvents

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

via @dabbe #NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin

Sorry for such a late post, Sherlockians. The website has been wonky all week and is finally running smoothly again. Discussion for this one will be this Saturday and will be led by @dabbe. Happy Spring Equinox and Happy almost Friday!

Link to summar/analysis (spoiler alert): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-w4WE0kX1_Q4MPFCwVKfut3J0dqfP-v5/view

dabbe TY! 🤩🤩🤩 1mo

33 likes1 comment

dabbe

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin @LitsyEvents

Sorry for such a late post, Sherlockians. The website has been wonky all week and is finally running smoothly again. Discussion for this one will be this Saturday and will be led by @dabbe. Happy Spring Equinox and Happy almost Friday!

Link to summar/analysis (spoiler alert): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-w4WE0kX1_Q4MPFCwVKfut3J0dqfP-v5/view?usp=shari...

Daisey, erzascarletbookgasm, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, Aimeesue, Larkken, Librarybelle, mom2bugnbee, Chrissyreadit, Read4life, StayCurious, CatLass007, Mollyanna, curiouserandcurioser, eeclayton, dabbe, IndoorDame, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, 5feet.of.fury, Tineke, Fr3NcHtOaSt, Blackink_WhitePaper, RayHallucinogen, Pageturner1, PageShifter, AnnR, kimrenee, aroyse, CrystalE02

Librarybelle Thank you! 1mo

dabbe @Librarybelle YW! 🤩 1mo

44 likes2 comments

Daisey

The Answer Is No | Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma (Translator)

pick

This was a wonderful short read for today! I‘m very much an introvert and frequently time to myself is my happy place, so I found several aspects of this story very relatable. I also loved some of the things it had to say about happiness and contentment, and I laughed several times over the absurdity.

#quote #KindleQuotes

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Allthebookclubs

The Answer Is No | Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma (Translator)

pick

Lucas thinks he‘s attained pure happiness through living alone, but a meddling neighborhood council turns his world upside. I love Backman and while I enjoy his novellas, I wish they were full novels.
Book #15 in 2025

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