A new year for Sherlock Holmes in Peoria, Illinois.

At 6:30 this Thursday night, at the North Branch of the Peoria Public Library, the Sherlock Holmes discussion begins again. I love the "again" part of that sentence, because the discussion of Sherlock Holmes has never really ended since the great detective showed up in the 1800s, but since there's only sixty stories to discuss, it can begin again, and again, and again . . . .

The "Sherlock Holmes Story Society" as the library will be calling it, will feature discussion of a short story per month, starting with "A Scandal in Bohemia" this Thursday, and as any Sherlock Holmes fan knows, you can get as much discussion out of a Conan Doyle short story as many a book club novel . . . with much less homework!

Irene Adler, the King of Bohemia, "the well-remembered door, which must always be associated in my mind with my wooing," Sherlock Holmes's acting company, that curious way Sherlock says "Goodnight," the disguises, Holmes being beaten . . . so many things to talk about in "A Scandal in Bohemia," and you'll probably be seeing some thoughts on it coming out here this week before and after the library meet-up.

But it's a good time to start discussing the story cycle of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson again, with a new year and a new season of Sherlock just done. Sixty stories covering the twenty-three year career of the world's first consulting detective . . . which done monthly and successfully makes for a five year run in itself, which many a Sherlock Holmes society has done (sometimes multiple times). How far will we go this time? One never knows.

But it's always a good time getting there. Thursday night, 6:30 at Peoria's North Branch library.