My “reading challenge” postings (12/6/10 and 12/7/10) have produced plenty of wonderful surprises. Here are some comments about the surprises and a few of my observations.

I began by suggesting (perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek) that I would dare to limit myself to a self-imposed “reading challenge” for 2011 that would include a mere half-dozen authors and titles; moreover, I would limit myself to “first-rate novels from the 18th through the 21st centuries featuring crimes, detection, and punishments.” Then, after posting my off-the-cuff list of novels by Hogg, Collins, Dostoevsky, Hammett, Eco, and Waters, I invited bloggers to offer their own suggestions for other authors and titles.

(Note: The Moonstone, which I have begun, is an absolute treasure! The congenial narrative style is particularly commendable.)

First, I am pleased with the eclectic suggestions, all of which will be accumulated, sorted, and republished in my revised “reading challenge” (coming soon!)—an adjustable list that will certainly keep me entertained and challenged throughout 2011.

(Note: I would remind everyone that the polls remain open, and I look forward to other bloggers’ nominations for their half-dozen lists.)

Second, I am surprised by the advice implied in many of the suggested authors and titles that I need to expand upon my definition of what constitutes a novel of “crime, detection, and punishment.” Clearly, when eagerly embraced titles like Gilgamesh, The Iliad, Njal’s Saga, and Our Mutual Friend have been suggested, my rather traditional understanding of “crime, detection, and punishment” must be reconsidered.

Now, with all of that having been said, what kinds of “crimes” and “punishments” do you find particularly well represented in books (including fiction, drama, poetry, nonfiction, etc.), especially in texts that readers may not normally think of when making their lists of crime stories?

Novels, Stories, and More will remain inactive, without new postings, because I will be preoccupied with more mundane and practical matters on campus, in the community, and–most importantly–at home. However, because of a good friend’s recommendation, this blog will remain online and archives will remain available.

I admit that I am having another one of those days that I suppose bloggers must occasionally experience. So, with that minor, self-conscious confession out of the way, I further admit that this posting falls (pun intended) under the wide-net category of the well-known riddle involving the tree having fallen in the forest and the sound it may or may not have made:

As prologue to my planned series of postings in which I write about my critical reactions to Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, here is the link to my BookLoons review of Brad Gooch’s biography, Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor.