📕 Linwood Barclay (2023) The Lie Maker – follows protagonist Jack Givins, a struggling writer whose life shifts when a mysterious woman hires him to investigate a cold disappearance. As Jack digs deeper into the dark secrets of an idyllic town, he uncovers a web of deception that threatens his own safety.
📺 Upstairs Downstairs (2010) – a British period drama series that originally aired on the BBC from 2010 to 2012. It serves as a continuation of the classic 1970s television series of the same name. The revival is set in 1936 London, picking up six years after the events of the original show. It centers once again on the iconic townhouse at 165 Eaton Place, though with a brand-new set of upper-class residents and household staff.
📕 John Banville (2025) Venetian Vespers – Set in 1899 Venice, this psychological thriller follows struggling writer Evelyn Dolman, who loses his expected inheritance after his wealthy wife is disinherited. During their gloomy honeymoon, she mysteriously vanishes following a chaotic night. Evelyn descends into a disorienting puzzle, questioning his sanity, reality, and everyone around him.
📕 Steve Berry (2005) The Third Secret – A really bad story. Crappy characters, centered around some mysterious "third secret" that women can be priests, priests can marry, homosexuality is OK, and women can decide if they have abortions, all revealed 91% into the book. This "secret" is conveyed through appearances of "The Virgin" Mary. 12+ hours of total crap audio. 👎👎
📺 Upstairs, Downstairs (1974) – This Emmy Award-winning British drama series tells the story of the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys and their loyal and lively servants. 👍
📕 Joseph Finder (2025) The Oligarch's Daughter – Former Wall Street manager Paul Brightman hides under an assumed name after spying on his Russian oligarch father-in-law, Arkady Galkin. When assassins discover his location, Paul flees into the New Hampshire wilderness, using survival skills to evade federal agents and Russian operatives while uncovering a massive government conspiracy. – 👎 Kind of a tinfoil hat book. Main character is an idiot. Thinks he's smart, but marries a Russian Oligarch's daughter, and thinks things will go smoothly. He just does one stupid thing after another.
📕 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. – 👎 The basic line of the story involves the attempt to introduce a plague into humanity via rats, which reproduce fast, and spread disease well. But the girl friend character Alexis Remnick of the initial murdered victim is so annoying, self absorbed, and narcissistic that the story is almost unbearable to tolerate.
📕 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. 👎 Gave up after a few chapters.
📚 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. 👎
📺 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. 👍
📺 The Inbetweeners (2010) 18 episodes – Will McKenzie is on a bad run. His parents have just divorced and, to make matters worse, his mum has moved him from a posh private school and into the sixth form at the local comprehensive. Despite the twin handicaps of being the new kid and carrying 'an actual briefcase', Will quickly makes new friends - Simon , Neil and Jay Unfortunately, they are far from the coolest kids at school.