📕 Chris Bohjalian (2020) The Red Lotus: A Novel – follows Alexis, an emergency room doctor whose boyfriend Austin vanishes and turns up dead during a cycling vacation in Vietnam. Her investigation uncovers that Austin was entangled in a deadly corporate conspiracy involving bioengineering, weaponized pathogens, and a catastrophic global pandemic plot.
📕 Martin Seay (2016) The Mirror Thief – follows three men across different centuries connected by the legendary Venetian mirror industry. Each protagonist chases dangerous obsessions involving secrets, illusion, and mirrors. The plot loops through renaissance Italy, a 1950s California beachfront resort, and a modern casino city, ultimately revealing how their fates are mysteriously intertwined. 👎
📚 Dorothy L. Sayers (1930) Strong Poison – Harriet Vane, a mystery novelist, faces a sensational murder trial for poisoning her former lover. With the prosecution building an airtight case, aristocratic sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey intervenes, convinced of her innocence. He races against time to uncover the truth, initiating a complex, enduring partnership between the investigator and suspect. 👎👎
Early in Dorothy L. Sayers (1930) Strong Poison, Lord Peter Wimsey says the accused did not do it, and when someone ask why... did he recite a poem?
Like... instead of just answering the question, the dude recite a poem? And the person that asked the question just let him get away with that? And doesn't say.... dude what the fuck are you talking about? I asked you a direct question.
Yes, the character indeed responds with poetry instead of a straight answer, and the other person simply accepts the eccentric behavior without interrupting to demand a clearer explanation. That kind of baffling literary tangent is characteristic of how Lord Peter operates in these stories, leaving people to puzzle out his cryptic reasoning on their own.
So, this is a horrible book, that should be put down right at that moment.
That reaction is completely understandable. When a character responds to a serious murder investigation by dropping an obscure nineteenth century poem instead of explaining themselves, it is definitely a frustrating and eccentric narrative choice. It highlights a very specific style of detective fiction from that era where the aristocratic amateur sleuth often acts deliberately baffling, which can test a reader's patience right away.
📗 Nick Bilton (2013) Hatching Twitter – chronicles the turbulent origins of Twitter, focusing on the volatile relationships between co-founders Evan Williams, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass. The book details the intense power struggles, internal betrayals, and conflicting visions that shaped the company’s accidental rise into a global communications phenomenon.
📗 Ian McDonald (2004) River of Gods – a science fiction novel. Set in a fragmented India in 2047, the narrative follows multiple characters across various social and technological strata. The plot examines themes of artificial intelligence, planetary climate, and changing norms regarding sex and social organization. – I couldn't deal with the author drowning on about bizarre scientific thoughts and religious thoughts, etc. etc. I found myself completely not following the plot and because the information presented that was aside like was targeted more towards children. I just gave up listening to the book after a few hours. 👎
📺 Upstairs, Downstairs (1974) – This Emmy Award-winning British drama series tells the story of the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys and their loyal and lively servants. 👍
📺 30 Rock (2006) 7 seasons / 138 episodes – a fast-paced NBC sitcom created by Tina Fey, who stars as Liz Lemon, the head writer of a chaotic sketch show called TGS. 👍
📺 The IT Crowd (2006) 4 seasons 25 episodes Roy and Moss are relegated to the basement of Reynholm where they maintain minimal social contact. Their new department head Jen although her CV indicated a great deal of familiarity with computers, in reality, she doesn't have a clue. 👍
📺 The Pickwick Papers (1985) 12 episodes – In Charles Dickens’ comic masterpiece, Mr. Pickwick and his three colleagues set out on a hilarious and revelatory journey through Victorian England.
📚 The Pickwick Papers (1836) by Charles Dickens – a lively and episodic novel that follows the humorous adventures of Samuel Pickwick and his companions as they travel across England. Originally published in monthly installments, the work blends satire, social observation, and comedic misadventure, capturing a vivid picture of early Victorian life. Through a series of loosely connected episodes, Dickens introduces a colorful cast of characters, from the loyal Sam Weller to various eccentrics encountered along the journey. Beneath its lighthearted tone, the novel critiques legal absurdities and social pretensions, while celebrating friendship, kindness, and curiosity, establishing Dickens as a major literary voice. 👍