What are you reading now?

[Belgrove]

Patricia Highsmith is an example of a female thriller/crime writer whose subjects are mostly men. They are invariably bad men who do bad things, and yet they are compelling, and even sometimes sympathetic, characters. Moreover the novels have made highly successful transfers to the screen, possibly because her spare style gives actors plenty of space to develop a character. A variety of actors have played Tom Ripley, for example, and each found intriguing character traits which fit with Highsmith’s creation on the page (with the possible exception of Dennis Hopper). Looking forward to seeing Andrew Scott’s latest incarnation.

[french frank]

I wonder how many women read them. Holmes is sometimes suggested to be what today would be called a misogynist.

I haven't read them recently but do still value the full-length works. It's irrelevant whether Holmes, a fictional character, is a misogynist: Watson is the gentle counterbalance.

I read the online newspapers - more accurately, I pay £75 pa to read the Guardian, but I also read the selected stories in the populist papers. I haven't had a TV for 20 years and no longer listen to radio other than for research purposes - as I will read the Mail, Express or Telegraph (know thine enemy).