Books

Fire

Sebastian Junger covers a set of disparate topics, unified by their danger. 

It’s not a coherent, focused look at one thing, which is a minor demerit. But it beats the alternative of tracking down a bunch of National Geographic magazines just to read his work. 

The stories about Kosovo, escaping captivity, forest fire fighters, and traditional whaling in the Caribbean stuck with me in particular. 

It’s all ~25 years past the point of journalistic relevance, but the writing and storytelling is as good as ever. 

Recommended for fans of Junger, but if you’re not yet a fan, read his other stuff first, starting with The Perfect Storm and War.

A Study in Scarlet

Sherlock Holmes makes inferences to solve a murder. 

Holmes and Watson remain a much loved pair for good reason. It’s an endlessly charming routine. 

You know that dynamic, and you know how murder mysteries work. If you like them at all, you probably love them a lot.

What struck me most about this book was the jaunt over to Utah to tell the backstory of the American characters. The shift took me by surprise, but it ended up being my favorite story arc. 

I suggest starting with The Hound of the Baskervilles if you haven’t read any Holmes books before, but you’d also be fine starting here. It’s just a little slower to get up to speed and spends a little less time with Holmes.

Low urgency, low intensity recommendation. Worth reading, but don’t let it displace anything you’re keenly excited about.

this took me back! 

i remember binge-reading the whole series in 2018.