Pulp Fiction discussion

Finally finished Don Winslow's The Force last night. Almost took an entire month to finish thanks to the long, complicated story with tons of characters and subplots as well as the disturbing subject matter. It's hard to read it and not come away with a very cynical view of politics and society, but it's also quite funny in its own bleak way.

I’m currently reading Skeleton Key by Lenore Glen Offord, first published in 1943. My edition is part of the Felony and Mayhem Press, part of the “Vintage” category.

The book is a piece of crime fiction during WWII.



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Reading Dorothy Hughes' RIDE THE PINK HORSE. Set in Santa Fe at Fiesta weeek. .Zozobra is the god of the fiesta, a giant puppet tourists think of as entertainment at a parade. Sailor, once a NY street kid, thinks thinks ZoZobra as if it is a devil, degenerate. . But the Indian peoples see the Festival as not just memorializing the Spanish conquest of Mexico, but as a round of nature, sun and shadow, full of both destruction and renewal. Beautifully written.

I recently watched on TCM "Ride the Pink Horse" and it was a pretty good movie. I add this to my must read list a while ago. Looking forward to your review..

I like Robert Montgomery, but the film is nothing like the novel. Sailor wins in the film, but Hughes' ending is much darker. He gives Pilar a much larger role than Hughes does, which worked out well. The man who played Pancho was great.

Jay wrote: "I like Robert Montgomery, but the film is nothing like the novel. Sailor wins in the film, but Hughes' ending is much darker. He gives Pilar a much larger role than Hughes does, which worked out we..."

I concur, he was great. I had read a little about that actor, Thomas Gomez. He was not only a character actor in films, but was a star on Broadway. Gomez was also a strong union man and was on the SAG Board of Directors.

Finished the 4th book in the Dublin Murder Squad mysteries by Tana French. Broken Harbour Good, maybe not the best in the series, but still kept me glued to the page. As a Bonus, like the other books, it's really a standalone novel, so no need to read them in order.

I finished


Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


The Man Who Risked His Partner by Stephen R. Donaldson writing as Reed Stephens

I finished kind of a Sci-Fi mystery:


Head On by John Scalzi
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Currently on Thunderball by Ian Fleming, and its rather dull, boring.

I finished:


The Man Who Risked His Partner by Stephen R. Donaldson writing as Reed Stephens
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


A Murder of Quality by John le Carré

Larry wrote: "Currently on Thunderball by Ian Fleming, and its rather dull, boring."

That was my favorite James Bond movie of the Sean Connery era.

RJ from the LBC wrote: "Larry wrote: "Currently on Thunderball by Ian Fleming, and its rather dull, boring."

That was my favorite James Bond movie of the Sean Connery era."
Yea good movie, lousy book. The books are nothing like the films!

Currently reading the Kindle version of The 12:30 from Croydon, sort of an inverted mystery from the killer's point of view. I'm about halfway through.

Larry wrote: "Yea good movie, lousy book. The books are nothing like the films!"

I've only read the first couple books in the series along with some of the short stories. They're OK, but in many cases I think the movie version is superior. It's interesting to read the books to get an idea of what Fleming was trying to do with the character and compare that to the various movie interpretations.

I think I stopped reading the Bond Series after Thunderball...the stories got even more stupid. I couldn’t even finish reading Goldfinger and I love the movie.

Bond books are fun fast reads - easily read and forgotten, rightfully so haha

I started reading:


The Howling Man by Charles Beaumont

This collection was published in 1992 but most of the stories originally saw print in the 1950s and early 1960s, with a few published posthumously (Beaumont died in 1967). Beaumont was famous for his scripts for the original Twilight Zone series, and many of his stories were adapted as episodes of the series.

I'm too familiar with the Maltese Falcon, so I thought I will be picking another classic to read instead of the book of the month: Beast In View

I started reading:


A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

About to start Orwell's 1984. The only other Orwell I've read is Animal Farm (great read)

RJ from the LBC wrote: "I started reading:


A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs"

Nice! I just saw it was free on Amazon Kindle, so I have a copy.

You might want to plan on reading the first 3 books of ERB's Mars series since they're short & the first 2 end on cliff hangers. Today they'd be 1 book, I think.

Franky wrote: "RJ from the LBC wrote: "I started reading:


A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs"

Nice! I just saw it was free on Amazon..."
I read that a few years ago. Didn't want to read any others in the series. That one was bad enough lol

Franky wrote: "Nice! I just saw it was free on Amazon Kindle, so I have a copy."

I think it's in the public domain, so there should be free copies out there.

Has anyone else read Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier?

So far, it’s really good! Can’t wait to read Rebecca!

I finished:


A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell

Elliot wrote: "Has anyone else read Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier?

So far, it’s really good! Can’t wait to read Rebecca!"

Nope but I really enjoyed Rebecca.

"Beast in View"was superb.
I've gone back now to one of my 'comfort food' authors : Dick Francis with The Danger

Elliot wrote: "Has anyone else read Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier?

So far, it’s really good! Can’t wait to read Rebecca!"

A long time ago. Loved it.

I finished:


A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading (don't judge me):


Origin by Dan Brown

I just finished reading Hombre by Elmore Leonard because i missed how great his westerns are. They remind me of Justified tv show which is by far the best Leonard adaptation.

Hombre is pretty simple story but the writing,the character of John Russell is much more memorable to me this time. I saw more in the clean,unaffected prose style than the first time i read this book. Back then i hadnt read much westerns, didnt know usually those writers are not in the same league as EL. I saw more in the prejudice of the other white characters in the story to Russell. Just because he grew up among the Apaches. The politics of that time toward the native americans was not hidden in EL short novel about a good man.

Next im goona read Valdes is Coming which i havent read before since i have this wonderful book:

Mohammed wrote: "I just finished reading Hombre by Elmore Leonard because i missed how great his westerns are. They remind me of Justified tv show which is by far the best Leonard adaptation...."

I just finished rewatching Justified. It was just as good the second time around. The movie Hombre with Paul Newman starring was fantastic. I think I liked it even better than the novel, although it's close. I also saw the movie first. 'Valdez' was another good movie starring Burt Lancaster.

Jim wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "I just finished reading Hombre by Elmore Leonard because i missed how great his westerns are. They remind me of Justified tv show which is by far the best Leonard adaptation...."

..."

Im watching Justified right now for the second time too,. EL was lucky to have a great showrunner who also did The Americans spy drama. EL was so happy with Justified that he said before his death that it was the only of his adaptations that looked like it came from his writing.

I like western movies too but i suspect that the only reason i would like Hombre film more than the story is if i saw it first. It is a simple story that became a great character study, intense scenes. Im gonna watch the movie now, have never seen it.

Elliot wrote: "Has anyone else read Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier?

So far, it’s really good! Can’t wait to read Rebecca!"

I have started reading this Frenchman's Creek but didnt have time to finish it then. I liked the writing.

Let me know what you think of this novel? I know Jamaica Inn has famous UK mini series too.

Mohammed wrote: "...I like western movies too but i suspect that the only reason i would like Hombre film more than the story is if i saw it first..."

Could well be seeing it first, but I think the star had a lot to do with it. I was a real fan of Paul Newman's. I highly recommend "Sometimes a Great Notion" as a movie (Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, Lee Remick, Michael Sarazin (sp?) & the guy that played the sergeant in "The Dirty Dozen") but I couldn't get far into the book.

I also really liked Charles Bronson back in the 70s. He starred in "Mr. Majestick" which is very 70s, but still fun & fairly close to the book, IIRC. Has a great truck chase scene. Part of it was used in a truck commercial years later.

Okay, it's not pulp fiction, but it is a crime procedural with a pre-apocalyptic twist....The Last Policeman.

Lawrence wrote: "Okay, it's not pulp fiction, but it is a crime procedural with a pre-apocalyptic twist....The Last Policeman."

That was recommended to me by 2 friends. None of my libraries have it, but it's only $10 for the MP3 CD or $15 as a download from Downpour (Blackstone Audio). I think I'll buy the former, easy enough to rip.

"Helmet For My Pillow" by Robert Lechie

I'm currently reading Erle Stanley Gardner's The Case of the Lucky Legs.

I finally managed to read Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornbug. I said finally, because I believe it was the book of the month a few years back, and also because it is one of my all time best in pulp fiction. I should have discovered it earlier.

Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I finally managed to read Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornbug. I said finally, because I believe it was the book of the month a few years back, and also because it is one of my all tim..."

Agreed, Algernon, Cutter and Bone was quite a powerful book! Have you read anything else by Newton Thornburg? I’m not sure which book of his to try next, though To Die in California looks rather promising.

I finished:


Origin by Dan Brown
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I was pleasantly surprised by this entry in the Robert Langdon series.

and I started reading:


The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins

Currently reading Haints Stay

RJ from the LBC wrote: "I finished:


Origin by Dan Brown
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I was pleasantly surprised by th..."

The Friends of Eddie Coyle is one of my favorites...I've probably read it 5 to 6 times already.

Darrel wrote: "The Friends of Eddie Coyle is one of my favorites...I've probably read it 5 to 6 times already."

I've been looking forward to it.

I have a long way to go, but I wanted to make my way through the Hard Case Crime books. I just began No. 5, Two for the Money.

I finished two collections by Charles Beaumont, one of the writers behind the scenes of the original Twilight Zone TV series:


Perchance to Dream by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Howling Man by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started reading another Beaumont collection (there is a lot of overlap between his collections, so I have already read many of the stories):


The Hunger: And Other Stories by Charles Beaumont

Most of these stories are not crime or mystery stories; they are more likely to fall under the categories of "science fiction," "horror," or the catchall "weird." But those who enjoy the pulp magazine stories of the post-WWII era will feel right at home here.

Just started I Married a Dead Man. I figured I'd get back to reading a little Woolrich.

I finished (original Twilight Zone writer) Charles Beaumont's earliest short story collection - it was good but didn't contain much of his best work:


The Hunger: And Other Stories by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Night Ride And Other Journeys by Charles Beaumont

There is a lot of overlap in Beaumont's various short story collections so I have already read many of these stories.