Even bigger tingle -- the piece of Roman wall still standing in place near the Tower of London. (It's just outside the nearest Underground station.)

Hee! We loved this, too [link] See also the Sherlock Holmes excursion also on this page.

Poe's grave is a good reading pilgrimage.

I am ashamed to admit that I've mostly done reading pilgrimages for books I haven't read: Somseret Maugham in Thailand, Joseph Conrad (Lord Jim) in Malaysia, Herotodus at Thermopylae and Apostle Paul at Corinth. But these are sort of culture-by-osmosis things, and it's not like I'm totally shallow and more jonesed about seeing the Exorcist stairs, really.

I guess books are more real to me; I always assume that anything I see on screen is faked. Of course, not to the same degree as the DH, who couldn't grok what I find amusing about leaving graffiti to Roskolnikov. He said, "Roskolnikov's more real to me than most of the people I work with."

I finally got to look at the Kindle. WANT....

Jerry Pournelle has a review here.

The first time we went to Lahore, my Dad made a point of taking me to see Zam-Zammah and the Ajaib-Ghar where Kim starts. I've been to Amritsar and Kulu and Ambala and Saharunpur, but not Lucknow.

Christmas gift suggestions sought: for my father in law. He is interested in mystery series. He is probably not a crime novel/thriller reader, but would be more likely to like cozy women's sort of mysteries. But I'm worrying that anything I can think of is too, well, girly for a fairly traditional 69 year old man. Any suggestions for mystery series that fit the bill?

flea, has he read any of the Laurie R. King Sherlock Holmes series? The first one is "The Beekeeper's Apprentice". It's Holmes after he's retired to, yes, raise bees and he runs into a young woman who naturally has the same sort of observant and deductive mind he does.

"The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series by Alexander McCall Smith?

Nevada Barr? Kathy Reichs? Sharon McCrumb's ballad books? My Robert Ludlum-loving 65-year-old cousin likes them.The first two have women protagonists, but certainly can't be described as girly. Has he read Robert Parker's Spencer books? They've had their ups and downs as the series has aged, but the first 10 are great. James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux books are wonderfully written.

Laurie R. King Sherlock Holmes series

I wouldn't call them girly, but they are pretty feminist-oriented, to my mind. Plus Mary Sue as all get out. t has own issues with some chick getting her hands on the Great Detective.

Mary Sue and all, the Laurie R. King books might be a good fit for your dad, flea. There's also Deb Grabien's murder ballads series -- mystery + ghost story + a dash of cozy (though the last two are also pretty skeery and disturbing). And yesyesyes to the Alexander McCall Smith series.