Now reading...

[GA Russell]

Raymond Chandler was a friend of Erle Stanley Gardner's.  A year ago, I read a collection of Chandler's correspondence.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008TSROHM/

In one letter, he said that he had just finished a story by some new guy named A.A. Fair.  He said that he enjoyed the book, but that Fair's writing was a complete ripoff of Gardner's style and plot devices!

 

[jlhoots]

Anita De Monte Laughs Last: Xochitl Gonzales

[adh1907]

Early ‘50s London, Windrush generation. Great book. Selvon is a skilled writer and even manages a 10 page sentence without losing the reader. 

[soulpope]

On 3/17/2024 at 2:14 PM, Brad said:

 

 A great start of an excellent series ....

[rostasi]

It took about three long years after its intro during a Kickstarter setup,
but the clock has finally arrived and it looks beautiful (I have the large version).

Author Clock

[ejp626]

20 hours ago, rostasi said:

It took about three long years after its intro during a Kickstarter setup,
but the clock has finally arrived and it looks beautiful (I have the large version).

Author Clock

That does look tasty.  Did you ever see the film version equivalent (Marclay's The Clock)?  I think this was at MoMA and San Francisco MoMA and probably a few other museums. https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1308

I finished Shteyngart's Absurdistan and am just starting Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time.

I actually did seek out an older copy with the Edward Gorey cover, though it's certainly not one of his best covers...

[rostasi]

1 hour ago, ejp626 said:

Did you ever see the film version equivalent (Marclay's The Clock)?

Yeah, I thought of that work too when the initial idea for this came up.
Just like this clock, it's fun to dip into at various times
if you get to see the installation.

[jlhoots]

Don Winslow: City In Ruins

[Referentzhunter]

[Referentzhunter]

Genesis and catostrofhe * Edward the conquerer * Pig

[rostasi]

 

Edited April 6 by rostasi

[GA Russell]

Everyone is entirely credible.  But these guys are not as interesting people as the players from The Glory of Their Times.  Maybe the guys from a hundred years ago were country.

[Referentzhunter]

[GA Russell]

[soulpope]

[Referentzhunter]

Maxim Gorki - From my childhood

[GA Russell]

A precursor to the Mickey Spillane school.

[jlhoots]

Deborah Ledford: Redemption

[GA Russell]

A young exec of the Seattle Pilots recollects what happened fifty years later.  An enjoyable read, but not a scholarly endeavor.

[Brad]

On 3/29/2024 at 8:16 AM, ejp626 said:

 

Amazing book. 

 

This is a reimagining of the Huckleberry Finn story as told by Jim the slave, but with significant differences. It’s a terrifically good book. To those who are not all that familiar with how enslaved people were treated this will be an eye opener. 

[mjazzg]

3 hours ago, Brad said:

Amazing book. 

 

This is a reimagining of the Huckleberry Finn story as told by Jim the slave, but with significant differences. It’s a terrifically good book. To those who are not all that familiar with how enslaved people were treated this will be an eye opener. 

That's been getting a lot of coverage here in the UK too. Some interesting interviews with Everett. Definitely on my 'to read' list

[Referentzhunter]

[jlhoots]

Michael Connolly: Desert Star

[ejp626]

I just finished up A Hero of Our Time.

Interestingly, there is a contemporary novel by Naben Ruthnum by the same name!  I'll get to it fairly soon, but it isn't the very next thing on my list.

I'm currently halfway through The Decameron.  This is in preparation for Shteyngart's Our Country Friends, which has a similar set up (retreat from the city during a pandemic) but not quite so many bawdy tales. 😜

[JSngry]

On 4/13/2024 at 8:41 AM, Brad said:

To those who are not all that familiar with how enslaved people were treated this will be an eye opener. 

Same for those who are not all that familiar with how enslaving people think...