Pulp Fiction discussion

Sounds like it will put you in the right frame of mind for Knockemstiff, Cyndi.

I just finished listening to Deep Blue Good By, the first Travis McGee novel by John D. MacDonald. It was fun. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Just started James M. Cain's Double Indemnity. Its been staring down from my shelf for about five years now shouting read me, but I always reached for the DVD instead. It's been a while since I've read anything by this author. I remember feeling at ease with his style, his dialogue feels much more natural than some of the writers of the time and genre.

300+ pages into L.A. Confidential - the most exciting, gripping book I've read in years - leaves the movie in the dust.

Beginning The Devil All The Time tonight.

Melki finished Nineteen Seventy Four...dark, disturbing and absolutely no redemption given.

Still enjoyed the pace, style and story. Will finish the quartet, forewarned, but still wanting to go the whole journey.

Knockemstiff here I come...

Joined a few days ago and am trying to finish The Big Sleep before going onto The Devil All the Time.

The club certainly picks unique book subjects. The descritpions that I read in the poll for March's book choice were all intriguing.

My list of to-be-read is growing by leaps and bounds!

Glad you're enjoying the group, Minx.

Noticed yesterday that our tiny town library has drastically expanded their graphic novel section. Shelves of NEW books, glittering like diamonds in the sun. I came home with Sin City, Vol. 1: The Hard Goodbye and Sin City, Vol. 2: A Dame to Kill For - titles I know many group members have read - but new to me.

Cyndi wrote: "Melki finished Nineteen Seventy Four...dark, disturbing and absolutely no redemption given.

Still enjoyed the pace, style and story. Will finish the quartet, forewarned, but still wanting to go t..."

Have you seen the TV adaptation of the Red Rding trilogy? It's worth a viewing if you haven't already seen it. I have the DVD box set.

I have these in my Netflix queue. Or do I want to read the books first?

I haven't read the books, although I have read a few of David Peace' other works. I do find it hard to read books where I've seen the screen adaptation.

I am thinking I may want to see the films when I finish the quartet. The first one is bleak but I am sucked into the tale.

I definitely read tales before I watch. However I feel I may have to increase my Celexa dose until this series is finished. Thanks for the share Jonathan. Melki good reading and viewing to you.

Just finished L.A. Confidential - cannot remember when I've read anything as gripping, exciting, riveting - unbelievable plot, broad sweep, huge characters - the full deal. Will definitely read another James Ellroy, not right away.

Flash Beagle wrote: "Just finished L.A. Confidential - cannot remember when I've read anything as gripping, exciting, riveting - unbelievable plot, broad sweep, huge characters - the full deal. Will def..."

Have you read The Black Dahlia yet?

Knowledge Lost wrote: "Flash Beagle wrote: "Just finished L.A. Confidential - cannot remember when I've read anything as gripping, exciting, riveting - unbelievable plot, broad sweep, huge characters - the..."

Not yet - but I have The Big Nowhere lined up - I'm sort of bouncing around his LA Quartet (almost need to detox after an Elroy read :)

I've not read The Big Nowhere but I do highly recommend The Black Dahlia, its the first in the LA Quartet series and well worth reading. It's also the only Ellroy book to appear on the '1001 books to read before you die' list

Ok, sounds good - I will read it - thanks for recommending.

have you seen the movie?

Unfortunately not, I didn't know there was one.

I liked it, despite what the critics thought

The Black Dahlia Movie wiki

Thanks for the Wiki ... I'm curious as to how the book and movie relate, what did you think? I'm reading The Big Nowhere and it's a challenge! The gruesome stuff is more upfront than LAC but it's done with documentary frankness. The things I really like - broad social context; LA big city setting; LAPD vs LA Sheriff rivalry; 3 very flawed (understatement) main characters - this time instead of all LAPD it's sheriff, police, and private security (Buzz Meeks who appears in the prologue of LAC) - yet as anti-hero as they are they have the decency to be repelled by certain things. I'm hoping to read all 4! :) The big picture is what really fascinates me and seeing both sides.

I just finished reading the graphic novel 100 Bullets: Split Second Chance by Brian Azzarello - very gritty and noir. You can read my review below and the review of the first installment (which I thought was better).

100 Bullets Vol.1: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

100 Bullets Vol.2:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

In terms of novels, I've been on a bit of a horror kick lately and am currently reading THE DRUMMER BOY by Scott Nicholson. Just under 100 pages in and am enjoying the follow-up to RED CHURCH so far.

Just started Black Noir. I found it in a remainder catalogue. Features short stories by Walter Mosley, Paula L. Woods, Chester Himes, and others.

Otto Penzler often does a good job at collecting short stories for books like this

Reading The Black Dahlia - great book. When I read L. A. Confidential the writing style reminded me of a sportscaster calling a boxing match... I had no idea there was a match in this book. Fascinating seeing Ellroy's style evolve, from this book, into more rapid fire in The Big Nowhere which I just finished, to the white hot L.A. Confidential.

I'm currently reading Black Money by Ross Macdonald, this is my first Ross Macdonald novel, but I've read one of his short stories recently; The Guilty Ones which I really enjoyed

I'm reading The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell, Swedish police mystery - Kurt Wallander is sort of a cross between The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and BBC's Inspector Morse. I like it.

Flash Beagle wrote: "I'm reading The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell, Swedish police mystery - Kurt Wallander is sort of a cross between The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and BBC's Inspect..."

sounds good, I will wait to see if you liked it first :P

Knowledge Lost wrote: "I'm currently reading Black Money by Ross Macdonald, this is my first Ross Macdonald novel, but I've read one of his short stories recently; [book:The Guilty Ones|64838..."

Any reason you didnt start with Moving Target? I thought it was a great first start.

I'm currently listening to Cop Hater by Ed McBain & have been for several days on my commute. It's not going well. I'm starting to find reasons not to listen to it. The reader certainly isn't helping the story much, but I'm also having trouble with the characters. I don't like or feel any connection to any of them. Actually, I'm working up quite a dislike for most of them & the tone is deathly boring & stifling hot.

I see Mohammed rated it with 4 stars & 2 other friends with 3, so I'm going to try to stick with it since it's supposed to have a good ending.

I'm not sure why you're having problems with it. I think COP HATER, the whole series, is among the best things I've read.

Randy wrote: "I'm not sure why you're having problems with it. I think COP HATER, the whole series, is among the best things I've read."

Maybe the problem is the reader, Paul Shay, then. That's why I was asking. Reading & listening are two very different experiences & it's not the first time a reader has harmed a book. Usually I have a firm opinion about the reader, but he's iffy - not horrible, but not all that appealing, either. I think it's a combination of the setting, setup, & a poor, slow reader that's making the book seem like a chore.

The last book I listened to was one of Elmore Leonard's, who seems to be a more terse writer, too. McBain adds some words & phrases occasionally that are jarring & gratuitous. They probably wouldn't be so bad in print, but in this slow drone, they really glare.

Jim

Why i dont listen to audiobook, i like to judge the book by its author words only. Cop Hater felt a bit dated at first but when it got going it was a police book that deserve the acclaim the series has. I have to read much more of that series.

Alberto wrote: "Randy wrote: "I'm not sure why you're having problems with it. I think COP HATER, the whole series, is among the best things I've read."

I agree.

By the way, I'm currenly reading But A Short ..."

Do you know other noir set in London and other places in Europe ? I know mostly only Irish authors like Bruen, Neville etc

Once I'm finished with Dickens' Our Mutual Friend I've got The Lime Pit that I picked up used a few weeks ago.

I know mostly only Simonen's noir books and Manchette mostly.

Many of the french heist films by Melville, Dasse and co are based on books i should look for some of them.

Mohammed wrote: "Jim Why i dont listen to audiobook, i like to judge the book by its author words only. Cop Hater felt a bit dated at first but when it got going it was a police book that deserve the acclaim th..."

Some books don't lend themselves well to audio books, but others I prefer that way. So much depends on the reader, though. They can make or break a book. I find some trite (Queen Betsy) or semi-boring (Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin) books become much more interesting when well read. I've never found that an excellent book becomes better, although they can be just as good. I had to move my son down to Florida one time, driving almost non stop for 3 days hauling a trailer listening to the Harry Potter books all the way. It was a great way to pass the time.

Usually, I listen to audio books while on my daily commute, most of an hour of driving each way, but if I'm doing something quiet & repetitious in the shop, like hand sanding or carving, I'll listen to them there, too. It's a great addition to my reading time. I generally listen to a different genre than what I'm reading so it's easy to keep the stories straight in my head. Right now that means I'm reading "Spin" which is SF & listening to "Cop Hater".

McBain's story is a bit dated, but that doesn't bother me. I don't particularly like any of the detectives or anyone else, for that matter. The way they routinely treat everyone sucks. Worse, McBain occasionally puts in these bits of 'wisdom', sort of like old sayings. I can't think of an example off hand, but he ended a perfectly good paragraph with one the other day & it just ruined it.

Let us know your complete view on McBain when you are done with the book. I didnt found the characters the most interesting part i remember.

I dont understand audio book fans simply because im very ceremonical in the way i read books. I have must a cozy chair or couch and a book in my hands. Im very old fashioned. I listen only to music, radio talk shows.

Knowledge Lost wrote: "Flash Beagle wrote: "I'm reading The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell, Swedish police mystery - Kurt Wallander is sort of a cross between The Spy Who Came in From the C..."

I ended up liking some things...here's my review
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/87...

MY KIND OF GAME by Marvin Albert. PI Tony Rome is the hero.

pulpfanrandy wrote: "Gonna read "The Girl with the Long Green Heart" by Lawrence Block today. I love the Hard Case Crime books."

Me too, especially the reprints of lost classics.

I'm currently reading The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian. Not sure it qualifies as genuine pulp fiction, though; it's more a send-up.

I just read The Girl With the Long Green Heart. I thought it was stupendous. Hard Case Crime is irresistible.

Did I mention reading The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie here? It might appeal to those of you who like his acting & humor. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Jim wrote: "Did I mention reading The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie here? It might appeal to those of you who like his acting & humor. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/revi..."

I liked The Gun Seller but not as much as I wanted to.

I'm currently reading The Comedy Is Finished by Donald Westlake. I'm enjoying it but it's really dated.

I just finished Cop Hater. Glad I finished it, but I'll never listen to another depressing novel read by Paul Shay. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I've finished our March read, The Night of the Hunter and it remains as good as I remembered. I will say that I found it difficult to read without hearing Robert Mitchum as Preacher Harry Powell.

There's a number of interesting looking things lining up in the queue, although I've not shelved them yet as to read. Loosely based on the Kitty Genovese case is Good Neighbors by Ryan David Jahn. And I have the first quartet of Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem by Philip Kerr. The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson is on the bedside table, as I can sense this will be a Pulp Fiction read at some point. I've picked up a number of "International" noir authors that I'll try to get to a bit later. They may well be worthy of a group read in the future.

My plate is full these days. Three Bags by FullLeonie Swann is shaping up to be a fun read for Literary Exploration--a delight following our run of dystopia.

Then, my own fledgling group, "On the Southern Literary Trail" is growing slowly, but surely. Our march read is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Please know that each of you on the group are welcome to join us on the trail if you have the time. You'll find some familiar faces there.

Mike wrote: "I've finished our March read, The Night of the Hunter and it remains as good as I remembered. I will say that I found it difficult to read without hearing Robert Mitchum as Preacher ..."

Sounds like a fun group. I do find myself on literary exploration often. I cant read few types lit i know well too often in a row.

Im on Africa literary trail right now. I have read Chinua Achebe and bought an anthology with 10 african authors who won Caine prize anthology.

Dan wrote: "I liked The Gun Seller but not as much as I wanted to"

That's pretty much how I felt about it too.

I've just started reading a different kind of detective book, Three Bags Full.

My expectations for 'The Gun Seller' were low going in, so I enjoyed it more than I expected. It was a pleasant surprise, but a bit long.