Can you REALLY call yourself a Sherlockian if you don’t eat goose today? Holmes began investigating The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle on December 27. Maybe I cheated by serving up a goose-shaped cookie. But at least it’s properly bejeweled.

Sherlock on a Shelf has completed his annual rounds. As his job ends, Santa’s job begins. Sleep well tonight because tomorrow is Christmas!

Sherlock on a Shelf is practically daring Santa to put him on the naughty list. With two weeks left until Christmas, every day is an opportunity for more mischief! #SherlockOnAShelf #NaughtyList

If you were elected to public office (never mind whether you'd ever actually run), what book would you swear in on?

Step aside Sherlock Hemlock. Sesame Street has a new top detective.

My Justice League

Most of the Holmes stories are ill-suited for comics. The mental processes of his deductions don’t translate well to a visual medium. The Final Problem is an exception because it’s a chase story that culminates with a fist fight. Perfect comic fodder!

Casablanca, The Invisible Man, Lawrence of Arabia. What a filmography! What a life! Claude Rains was born on this day in 1889. He played Prof. Challenger in The Lost World and costarred with Basil Rathbone in The Adventures of Robin Hood. Not a Sherlockian career, but Sherlock adjacent.

Just as the Christmas season extends to Epiphany, so too should the Halloween season continue until the birthday of "Dracula" author Bram Stoker on 11/8. I'm currently reading "Sherlock Holmes & Count Dracula" by Christian Klaver. Not the best example of that subgenre, but it scratches an itch.

88 years after his death, William Gillette once again treads the boards in Maine. The Monmouth Community Players brought him back to life for a two-week run of shows at Cumston Hall. Get your tickets now!

Sounds like familiar territory to anyone who read the book "Arthur and George" or saw its 3-part TV adaptation in 2015. But the world has changed a lot since then for people of color. Perhaps the plight of George Edalji and Doyle's role in helping him will strike a different chord.

From Agincourt to Baker Street or wherever the game’s afoot…Happy Saint Crispin’s Day!

Nothing would make me feel more at ease when I’m away from home than being greeted by Sherlockian art.

Eille Norwood is 164 years old today and looks better than ever. The BFI is in the process of restoring the 47 silent films in which he starred as Sherlock Holmes. I like to refer to the project as the Adventure of the Norwood Re-Builders. Happy birthday, Mr. Norwood! I hope to see you again soon.

Robert Downey Jr. has made four Avengers movies and three Iron Man movies. But why does Sherlock Holmes get short shrift with just two movies? Complete the trilogy!

Recovering today from a wild Michaelmas of watching Hound of the Baskervilles and eating blackberry pie. A real Sir Hugo-style rager! #Michaelmas #Baskervilles #SirHugo #SherlockHolmes

The title of the article is insane to any real Holmes fan. “Sherlock’s most faithful adaptation isn’t the 1 you think.” Oh really? Or maybe it’s EXACTLY the one we all think it is. #JeremyBrett #Granada

Robert Redford isn't the first name that comes to mind in connection with Sherlock Holmes. But there IS a connection. The book "The Devil and Sherlock Holmes" includes an article that inspired his 2018 movie "The Old Man and the Gun." For that and all of his work, we'll always be grateful.

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside…

HOLMES SMASH!!!

The logic that Arthur Conan Doyle espoused through Sherlock Holmes went out the window when it came to the Cottingley Fairies. A newly acquired print of the famous photo is on display now until September 7 at the University of New England’s art gallery in Portland, Maine.

"You have the right to remain Sherlock" is something Jake Peralta (played by Andy Samberg) might say on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In a recent interview, Samberg revealed that he based Jake's investigative style on a particular version of Holmes. Cue the video to 1:02:10 to hear about Cumberbatching.

With the exception of COPP, these aren’t the stories I would necessarily recommend to get a new reader hooked on Holmes. But hey, whatever works!

The casting on "Watson" has been aggressively against type thus far. By comparison, the choice for Holmes seems more conventional. Robert Carlyle is shorter and blonder than I'd like, but there is a pleasing sharpness to his face. If he can project a similar sharpness of mind, he'll do just fine.

Happy birthday to Rudy Vallée! I celebrated by adorning the bronze bust in his hometown of Westbrook, ME with a special party hat. No, Rudy never played Sherlock Holmes. But he DID wear a deerstalker as the villainous Lord Marmaduke Ffogg in 3 episodes of the Batman TV series. Close enough!

I found this ad in an old comic book, Thor #301 from November 1980. The ad is for an animated Popeye series that CBS aired on Saturday mornings. Olive Oil is dressed as Sherlock Holmes while Bluto is rocking a leisure suit. The Victorian era meets the disco era, by way of Popeye. Truly bizarre!

From an interview with Arthur Conan Doyle in the March 1895 issue of Ladies Homes Journal: "The future writer of historical romance and adventure was especially drawn to Fenimore Cooper, whose tales of sea and land caught the fancy of his boyhood, and for whom he still entertains a great regard."

Sherlock Holmes didn’t need to be explicitly mentioned in the Sunday crossword puzzle for his presence to be felt.

I’m reminded of Holmes’ quote:“Someday we'll be reunited in another world, a much better world.” I had no idea he meant the Forbidden WORLDS Film Festival. And I’ll bet Nicholas was late…as always.🕵️‍♂️

When I heard of Peter David’s death over the weekend, I wanted to pay my respects. Did he ever write a Sherlockian story? I couldn’t find one. Then this pic crossed my feed. There he is, dressed as Holmes, with George Perez. Two giants of comics, both now gone.

Star Wars Day? First and foremost, May the 4th should always be remembered as the date of Sherlock Holmes’ final battle with Prof. Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls. Sure, the explosion of Alderaan is kind of a bummer. But the presumed death of the world’s greatest detective…that’s the REAL tragedy!

The summer visitors will soon arrive in Maine for their annual dose of lobsters and boating. They can also look forward to a bit of Sherlockian stagecraft from the Theater at Monmouth. We locals need to get our tickets now before the tourists finalize their vacation plans.

The "lesser" Holmes stories are my favorites to reread. 3STU, BLAN, RETI, etc. With plots and characters that haven’t been adapted to death, they still have the power to surprise.

I still need to read The Telegram from Hell! How does he write faster than I can read?

"Knowledge of Sensational Literature -- Immense He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century." A Study in Scarlet

What are the chances that DC will ever publish a collected edition of all the back-up stories featuring Alfred as an amateur sleuth?

"If it had not been for Miss Harrison here and for the doctor's care, I should not be speaking to you now. She has nursed me by day and a hired nurse has looked after me by night." NAVA

Strange to think that Enola is the veteran in the current boom of Holmes media that includes Watson on CBS, Sherlock & Daughter on The CW and Young Sherlock on Prime.

Who is YOUR Sherlock Holmes? I suspect the fanbase for Arthur Wontner is nearly extinct. And yet his face is still selling copies of the Canon at the newest bookstore in the Portland area. Wontner's birthday was last week. If you didn't celebrate then by watching one of his movies, do it now!

It’s 17° in Maine today. But I’ve got a Holmes story to warm my heart and a Holmes heater to warm my feet.