The Cranky Old Reader
I'm a Goodreads refugee, looking for a new home. Old books for children, science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and humor are my main areas of interest. I've little interest in books that were written after 1975 or so, and prefer books that are older still. There are, however, a few still-living authors that I respect.
Jacques Futrelle's "The Thinking Machine": The Enigmatic Problems of Prof. Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, Ph. D., LL. D., F. R. S., M. D., M. D. S. (Modern Library Classics)
An outstanding series of mystery-deduction stories. The hero is Professor S.F.X Van Deusen, aka "The Thinking Machine". I first read a book of some of those stories when I was young, and they made a pretty big impression on me. They're extremely clever and unique.Futrelle himself was an interesting character, not least in the manner of his death: he was on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. With him, when he died, were several manuscripts for Thinking Machine stories - now lost forever, of course.Jacques Futrelle's official site contains the full text of fifty Thinking Machine stories. I recommend starting with "The Problem of Cell 13". Yes, they're old, but they're really good.
Currently reading
Basic Roleplaying: The Chaosium d100 system (Basic Roleplaying)
A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster
