Algernon (Darth Anyan)’s Comments (group member since Aug 10, 2012)

Algernon (Darth Anyan)’s comments from the Pulp Fiction group.

I have been trying to finish the book for a week now, and I'm still stuck about halfway through. I simply cannot summon any interest in the story, despite loving most of the other books by Thompson.
In a way, it is typical of his approach, of putting the reader inside the head of a deeply disturbed man, one who deceives not only other people, but mostly himself with delusions of street smarts and toughness.
I might get better disposed once I finish it, but it will a slog.

There's something that hasn't struck me as strongly in other books by Thompson, but bothers me a lot here: the narrator truly hates women, or is afraid of them.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Lawrence wrote: "Hi RJ, looking ahead to February, may I suggest African American writers since it is Black History Month. Sure, we've done it before, , but a poll with the likes of Donald Goines, ..."

he might be, I only read his lew griffin books and didn't check out his photos

Lawrence wrote: "Hi RJ, looking ahead to February, may I suggest African American writers since it is Black History Month. Sure, we've done it before, , but a poll with the likes of Donald Goines, Chester Himes, Ru..."

don't forget James Sallis

I got a Nelson Algren vibe from this, but only in retrospective, since I read The Man With the Golden Arm after I read Kersh. But there is a lot of Frankie Machine in the portrait of Harry Fabian: small time crooks forever making plans to escape from the ghetto, hope the last thing they let go

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "December’s theme is ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT—a dive into the shadows where danger, desire, and desperation come alive after dark. Join us as we explore noir tales that thrive in the midnight hours, wh..."

I was going through the past winners to check one of my candidates, and I discovered a lot of titles that fit the theme but never won. Here are some ideas:

Cornell Woolrich - Night Has a Thousand Eyes - it was proposed three times I think, came in second once

Charles Williams - The Long Saturday Night - it was made into an excellent movie by Francois Truffaut, with Fanny Ardant and Jean-Louis Trintignant

Margaret Millar - A Stranger In My Grave - from an old poll

Adrian McKinty - Dead I Well May Be - an author long on my wait list

John D MacDonald - Cape Fear - a classic

Scott Alderberg - Graveyard Love - from an old poll

Stuart Turton - The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - currently reading it, a gothic murder mystery with SF elements

Angels
My first book by Denis Johnson, but not my last.
As dark as it gets, with a couple of drifters / nighthawks walking on the wild side, s bank heist and a terrible punishment

I saw the movie a couple of times before trying the book, but I eventually loved them both: the movie mostly for the haunting beauty of Gene Tierney and the book for the quality of Caspary's writing and psychological insights.
Each version reinforces the other, with the book structure of rotating POV adding depth while the cinematography underlining mood and dialogue.
Mark MacPherson, the detective, comes up better in the written form for me: Murder is the city's best free entertainment. .

- In detective stories there are two kinds, the hardboiled ones who are always drunk and talk out of the corners of their mouths and do it all by instinct; and the cold, dry, scientific kind who split hairs under a microscope.
- Which do you prefer?

I like Highsmith and this one looks promising, but I don't think I can make time for it this month. I have too many books already started and too many side projects due

As a coda to our boxing theme, I just finished another book that fits the bill, although it has a much larger scope: Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw. One of the main characters, Tom Jordache, has a meteoric career as a professional boxer. Shaw is very good in Tom's fighting chapters

I am trying to track down the movie right now, to see how they found a plot in this drifting novel. It might fit in with the whole 70s ethos, of Midnight Cowboy or Klute

I have only started today, about 20% done and loving it so far.
After reading Nelson Algren, few books would appear bleak by comparison but Gardner comes real close. I think he is even closer to Steinbeck in his more sombre writing - the onion picking scene is the last one I read today.
I'm looking forward to more boxing scenes.

I read the Mexican and other boxing stories by Jack London when I was about 8 or 9. At that time, I also had a comic book version of "50 Grand" by Hemingway. I would like to revisit them now that I can enjoy the stories in original English instead of the translation.

With these memories, I am psyched to start on this month's book.

In other news, today I finished in one sitting [it's only 120 pages] a hilarious crime spoof by Jack Trevor Story : The Trouble with Harry . We should bookmark it for our next humor rumble. There's also a movie version by Hitchcock

I was trying to read Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole books in order, but I got sidetracked after three episodes. They're good, but they have a kind of commercial, crafted feel about them that don't inspire me to prioritize them. I might read Headhunters if the movie is good, because I like to have a reference before watching it.

I've read this years ago and I loved it, but not enough to try a re-read. Looking forward to your impressions.

Because I recently read High Sierra by W R Burnett, I was reminded how close these classic noir novels are to the western canon.
I can easily picture Dave Bannion with a Stetson hat and a white horse, the sheriff of a town terrorized by a gang of outlaws, single-handedly hunting them down while chatting up the hot blonde singer Debby in the saloon.

I hope to get around to writing my own review, but I already think I will focus on the author's background in investigative journalism. Both the style of presentation and the plot have the vibe of 'true crime' accounts, the reporter in McGivern given precedence over the artist. He doesn't need flashy prose, editorials and wisecracks. The bare facts of the case are enough.

I finished the book, and the story was as hard hitting and as tightly written as I expected from a master that, according to Chat GPT, helped define the hardboiled tradition.

It wasn't until about the 60%mark on my reader when I realized I have seen the movie version , years and years ago and realized why my memory was so hazy: Gloria Grahame stole the show here in her role as gangster mole Debby. It was the infamous coffee pot scene that jerked my memory.
I must watch it again now after finishing the book.

I was convinced that I read Odds Against Tomorrow by him, but Goodreads thinks otherwise. Maybe I only remember the classic movie, one of my favorites. Anyway, I hope to start on the novel this heat, especially since my town is already experiencing a heat wave and I intend to stay inside with the AC running.

I'm back from Paris, so I hope to get back in the groove with my computer. I finished La Brava just before going on vacation, and I was reminded why Elmore Leonard is considered such a master of the dialogue and why so many of his stories / scripts are filmed. La Brava is one of the better titles from his catalogue.

I started today, but I will probably review when I come back from vacation next month. Anyway, the first chapters remind me why I like Elmore Leonard in the first place: very dialogue driven storytelling and sly humour, colourful characters and zany plot. It's Florida, after all.
The best part is La Brava working as a photographer, choosing street photography as his focus and doing his own prints, something that aligns with my own hobby well.