There was a radio program that read aloud the Just So Stories about 30 years ago, and I can still remember the sound of Jack Nicholson saying "the great green greasy Limpopo River".

This was available as an album. It's Jack Nicholson and Bobby McFerrin and it's so great. The rest of the album is Bobby McFerrin doing his thing IIRC.

ETA: You Tube has everything [link]

We had this on cassette tape! I listened to it a lot.

I just finished a YA book called Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott that I really enjoyed and found hard to put down, not because it was suspenseful, just enjoyable. For those that enjoy an easy to read, female driven, YA book.

So, Hec's posts about Heidi made me want to revisit two other books I liked as I kid, but I can't remember much about them

Clues: 1. I read a lot of books that were published between 1999 and and 1960 in their original bindings. They were not necessarily classics, but more like a Henry Artemis type thing . 2. I think one was called Adventures in 4-H. I am guessing set in the 1940 or 50s It was about a brother and sister make preparations all year to go to the fair, and then they win and also get to go to the State Fair. The boy raised "baby beeves", which I didn't quite understand were just beef cattle.

3. I think the other was called Elaine of the Mountains. It was a lot like the part of Heidi where she goes to the city. There was more detail about peasants dress. I am pretty sure she got glasses.

Anyone?

Ive been listening to Sherlock Holmes narrated by Stephen Fry whenever an audiobook has been suitable to my situation for a while now. I'm halfway through The Blue Carbuncle at this point and I think it's my favorite so far. Don't get me wrong, Fry is great from the jump, I regularly have to remind myself that he is playing all the characters, as it were, but I didn't enjoy the first ... [counts]...8 near as much as this.

It's weird how little actual Doyle I have read. I may have read more pastiches and homages. I didn't mean to.

I have read a tiny amount of Doyle, and a shit-ton of pastiches and homages. I think my favorites are a toss-up between Laurie R. King's series and Carol Nelson Douglas's Irene Adler books.

I know I should fee guilty about it, but I really don't? I never read Tolkien either, and I loved the movies.

I've been resisting Laurie King, I don't remember why. Probably no reason. I get these irrational whims sometimes. I am intrigued by Carol Nelson Douglas.

I really like Goss's treatment of Sherlockiana in the Athena Club books.

Most of what I've read has been either for school or turned up in an anthology I got for another reason or in Ellery Wueen - they do a Holmes-themed issue every year and that adds up. I think I bought Kareem Abdul Jabbar's book but I haven't read it.

I liked The Affair of the Mysterious Letter a whole lot, which is I guess is a sci fi version of Holmes? And Elementary and Sherlock and the various movies are fun. And House.

Both Doyle and Tolkien are a little too dry and dated for me to enjoy. But I love their characters!

I'm impatient for story right now, anything page-turning, so I couldn't get into Evvie Drake Starts Over, although I loved her style. I'm going to try again when I'm in another mood.

Looking for something new to read right now, actually.

I'm finding The Future of Another Timeline super compelling if you like that sort of thing. It is irritating that I have to do things like sleep and work rather than read it.

I always love the idea of time travel, but I wind up getting confused repeatedly.