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[ca_gere]

Originally Posted by 3CR816

Class A recommendation, excellent book and awesome film. The Big Lebowski is also worth (re?)watching too after becoming familiar with Chandler

I love the Big Lebowski as a film in its own right but for me it doesn't have that essentially Chandleresque seedy noir feel despite being a 'remake' of the Big Sleep. It's a bit too 'cool'. Coen brothers hit that nail on the head with The Man Who Wasn't There though (might just be because it's in black and white but hey). But yeah, BL is a must watch after the book.

Sorry,film chat in the book thread...

Recently read 69 by Ryu Murakami. A nice coming of age story set in 60s Japan.

[Lucky Rathen]

I'm reading "Into The Wild", the story of Chris McCandless aka "Alexander Supertramp". Watched the film on Saturday night and quite enjoyed it so I thought I'd try to get an idea of the real story, not the Hollywood version.

[Shaki]

Originally Posted by Shaki

Now reading The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler which I can't believe I haven't read before now given the amount of more recent hard-drinking, chain-smoking, wise-cracking yet contemplative and philisophical detectives that I have read about which are clearly influenced by this character. Really enjoying it.

I enjoyed this. Affa Noir! It reminder me of James Ellroy and more recently Dennis Lehane.

Found this interview excerpt:

CAPEN: Someone offhandedly made the remark that you had once said you were "Raymond Chandler reincarnate."

ELLROY: I never said that. Raymond Chandler is not a guy that I admire anymore. I think his books are softheaded and full of bad writing. I think Hammet is a much more important guy.

CAPEN: Even things like The Big Sleep?

ELLROY: Yeah.

Maybe not like you James, sorry.


Now reading World Without End by Ken Follett. Don't you love it when someone gives you a book to read and it's 1,200 odd pages!?

Zipping through it already - medieval England tale of adventure, friendship and change...see ya in a month.

[KarmaTsunami]

'Persian Fire' by Tom Holland at the moment, then 'Rubicon' by the same chap and then on to 'The Classical World' by Robin Lane Fox.

[Kaizen]

Just finished Blaze by Steven King. Was written ages ago under an alias (which i can't remember off the top of my head) that he used to write crime novels. If you've read any other King stuff, well worth a read. Still very much Kings style, but interesting to read it out of the horror genre.

[Murrr]

"Slow Learner" by Thomas Pynchon. This guy blows my feeble mind.

[Sue Denim..]

Originally Posted by KarmaTsunami

******************MILD STIEG LARRSON SPOILERS********



I started/finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest yesterday evening/wee hours of the morning. I thought it should have ended a wee bitty sooner than it did as anything after the warehouse confrontation sort of weakened the sense of finality. All in all though a cracking end to the trilogy, although I still think the second book is the strongest of the three.

I've just bought 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' but I'm saving it for when I go offshore over Christmas / New Year.
That should make my trip even more miserable!

[Sue Denim..]

Just finished "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

Brilliant. The story is actually overshadowed by one of the best characters in a book I've ever read.
It's in my top 10 best books.
I wish I'd brought the sequel offshore with me.

[Shaki]

Originally Posted by Shaki

Now reading World Without End by Ken Follett. Don't you love it when someone gives you a book to read and it's 1,200 odd pages!?

Zipping through it already - medieval England tale of adventure, friendship and change...see ya in a month.

A month and a half as it turned out. Really enjoyed it but affa long. Sparked my interest in all things medeival, particularly the effects of the black death. That shit puts swine flu into perspective.

Now reading Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon. I am devouring it. The man is a fucking genius and should not be allowed to die. Attention to detail is incredible and it is so easily read.

The only bad thing about it is that it makes your life seem shit. I'm just sitting at my desk answering phonecalls like "I can't log into your website, can you help?" and I'm like "What the fuck?! a 14 year old girl has been murdered, the the commisioner is cutting out the chain of command and chewing my ass cos this motherfucker is a red ball which ain't goin down because I don't have a motherfucking crime scene! You want me to help your sorry ass log into a fucking website?!".

[davidm]

Originally Posted by Murrr

"Slow Learner" by Thomas Pynchon. This guy blows my feeble mind.

Have you read anything else by him? I got Gravity's Rainbow about 7/8 months ago and that is pretty much how I felt as well, so after I finished that I got V., The Crying of Lot 49 and I'm now 200-odd pages through Against the Day. Far and away the best author I've ever read, he is truly astounding!