Holmes and Watson

It's been a Holmes and Watson kind of week as my husband I have finally seen (and loved) the first season of Sherlock, the creative modern-day update starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

I am loving the show for itself -- such great pacing, witty writing, intelligent plots, terrific acting! -- but I'm also loving it because it's nudging me back to Doyle.

 I confess that I have never been a huge Sherlock Holmes reader. Despite having enjoyed movies about the great detective, despite having read some of the stories and even a recent biography of Doyle, I've just never quite been able to immerse myself totally in the stories. That may be changing as I am currently racing my way through The Hound of the Baskervilles.

I confess, I checked it out of the library. This despite the fact that we own the complete Holmes in one volume. I realized that one reason I might not have been too successful at past immersion is that the darn book is too heavy to hold. And it has rather itty-bitty type.

So I checked Hound out in paperback form, and oh, the fun!

I'm also finding that the creative update is helping me "get" Holmes' voice better than I have before -- the energy behind it, the humor, the total genius-like self-absorption. And I can visualize Watson, the quiet sidekick, much better than before. Cumberbatch and Freeman are that good at keeping their characters in the spirit of the originals.

I have a feeling I may need to credit this series for helping me know how to read Doyle the way I now credit the 1995 A&E Pride and Prejudice with helping me to know how to read Austen.