The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

‘Tis the season to be reading. And I can’t believe it’s ten days until Christmas already and it’s only my second Christmas reading suggestion this year (in my English posts at least). So today’s festive reading suggestion: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, an adventure of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. A stolen gemstone with a dark and troubled past (the Blue Carbuncle of the title) is found in a roasted goose. While the gemstone is quickly given back to its owner, the whole plot is about finding the thief and discover how it got there... and incidentally where the goose is from. This is a proper Christmas read not only because it is set in the season, but because along the criminal investigation we witness a good deal of Christmas spirit, a few acts of kindness and generosity. Beyond the thinking machine that we often think he is, Holmes is shown as compassionate and benevolent. And like in every Sherlock Holmes story, you read it for the characters and atmosphere as much as the investigation and the resolution. This is so far my best literary discovery for Christmastime.