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I'm reading Cop Hater by Ed McBain. If the rest of the book is as good as the first third, I'll be reading more of the 87th Precinct books.

Alberto wrote: "Dan wrote: "I'm reading Cop Hater by Ed McBain. If the rest of the book is as good as the first third, I'll be reading more of the 87th Precinct books."

Glad you like it. I'm a fan. I've read the..."

I enjoyed the first Kenzie and Gennaro book for the same reason as you, it was hardboiled PI enough for my taste. The trouble is the books after that i agree with Tfitoby they became typical thrillers and not hardboiled PI type stories.

I'm reading The Monkey's Raincoat because I hear this is a series that gets to extreme levels of badassery as it goes on. I actually am enjoying it so far, even if it is sort of a Spenser rip-off.

I think I am going to read Gone Baby Gone next.

I've somehow managed to read 16 books so far this year. In the past week I have read the 5th Easy Rawlins book, A Little Yellow Dog which is possibly the best of the lot to date, the 4th Martin Beck book The Laughing Policeman again possibly the best of the lot to date and am just finishing the excellent story collection from Daniel Woodrell, The Outlaw Album: Stories.

After this I intend to read the very highly recommended Knockemstiff and something I discovered by accident in the No Exit Press back catalogue Tijuana Straits: A Novel whose author Kem Nunn also created an HBO show called John From Cincinnati which I know nothing about, any of the group had a chance to see it?

Tfitoby wrote: "I've somehow managed to read 16 books so far this year. In the past week I have read the 5th Easy Rawlins book, A Little Yellow Dog which is possibly the best of the lot to date, the 4th Martin Bec..."

How did that happen?! you've been reading normal size books too.

Michael wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "I've somehow managed to read 16 books so far this year. In the past week I have read the 5th Easy Rawlins book, A Little Yellow Dog which is possibly the best of the lot to date, th..."

I don't know actually. I've not spent any more time than usual on reading, been working on my own stuff more too. Perhaps its reading out of procrastination? :)

Or perhaps some of these bigger/normal books have a much larger font size than the small penguin paperbacks I usually enjoy?

Tfitoby wrote: "Michael wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "I've somehow managed to read 16 books so far this year. In the past week I have read the 5th Easy Rawlins book, A Little Yellow Dog which is possibly the best of the..."

Do you read paper books or ebooks/audio books? Listening to books every day in your car or at home is why some people read like 200-300 books in a year.

I can read 150 noir paper books when i only work because they are fav genre, many good authors, fast paced,lean genre. Reading one Goethe or another old classic book takes me as much time as i read 3,4 PI or Noir books. Not better or thicker but mentally harder to read ancient,older classics.

I'm reading Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene.

Mohammed wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "Michael wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "I've somehow managed to read 16 books so far this year. In the past week I have read the 5th Easy Rawlins book, A Little Yellow Dog which is possibly..."

only paperbacks Mohammed. I will get a kindle when I can't see the font in books anymore and not a second before.

but yeah, some literature is mentally more challenging than a black as night noir classic and so i hesitate to read them despite knowing i'll enjoy them. Big Book Syndrome.

Flash Beagle wrote: "I'm reading Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene."

Hey Flash, great choice, it was my first Greene and still my favourite. I had a great time reading it. If you get to see the movie adaptation it's also well worth your time, not least for Alec Guinness.

Tfitoby wrote: "but yeah, some literature is mentally more challenging than a black as night noir classic and so i hesitate to read them despite knowing i'll enjoy them. Big Book Syndrome. "

I feel your pain. I read Les Misérables for a club read in January and now the February read is The Count of Monte Cristo, another long one.

Ctgt wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "but yeah, some literature is mentally more challenging than a black as night noir classic and so i hesitate to read them despite knowing i'll enjoy them. Big Book Syndrome. "

I fe..."

Ouch, those two combined should be enough for a years worth of reading.

You're not kidding. They have both been on my to-read pile forever, so I'm trying to use this as kick in the pants. One down.

Ed Lacy - Room To Swing,
He won the Edgar with this one back in 1958.
Not a tattered dog-eared aged paperback this one, but a colourless A4 printed pdf file - still reads the same though!

Tfitoby wrote: "I've somehow managed to read 16 books so far this year. In the past week I have read the 5th Easy Rawlins book, A Little Yellow Dog which is possibly the best of the lot to date, the 4th Martin Bec..."

Don't know the show - but his first book Tapping The Source is worth checking out in my opinion

Tfitoby wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "Michael wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "I've somehow managed to read 16 books so far this year. In the past week I have read the 5th Easy Rawlins book, A Little Yellow Dog ..."

Many of the most hailed classics is barely 200 pages or many others are less than 400 pages. Stranger by Camus is like 140 pages. Kafka,Poe,London books isnt bigger. 1800s french adventure classic books are sick. My Oxford classics version of Count of Monte Cristo is 1050 pages. It depends on your interest. Goethe was 200 pages each book of Faust and it was much more challenging read read than other big books.

Big Book Syndrome is to me crappy, mainstream popular books like worst Stephen King, Epic fantasy by Eddings,Martin and co. Just because of my interest in books.

I get more respect for Hammett,Derek Raymond,Ken Bruen,Stark,Sallis and other great noir authors when i read other greats in other fields.

Mohammed:

Big Book Syndrome is to me crappy,

With you, I just don't like big, long books. Much is fluff and since I read mostly paperbacks, they are still hard to hold/handle. I get borded being in same place for more than 400 pages. 1,000 pages of being in New York, is too long for me.

Noir genre is my favorite as well. Enjoy your comments.

Cathy wrote: "Mohammed:

Big Book Syndrome is to me crappy,

With you, I just don't like big, long books. Much is fluff and since I read mostly paperbacks, they are still hard to hold/handle. I get borded bein..."

I just wish great noir books and other quality books was big books but quality authors never need fluff,pad books to 800 pages.

I read books based on interest and not their page count. Right now im reading The Burglar who Studied Spinoza by Block. After that im reading The Illiad by Homer. Greatest epic in literary history didnt need more than 400 pages ;)

Mohammed wrote: "Cathy wrote: "Mohammed:

Big Book Syndrome is to me crappy,

With you, I just don't like big, long books. Much is fluff and since I read mostly paperbacks, they are still hard to hold/handle. I g..."

Mohammed: I hate fluff. Just one of the reasons I love these writers we've been mentioning. I've used the words sparse, lean, clean, (and a few more can't recall right now) all meaning to me, without fluff. Few to no words that written without a purpose. That, to me, is great writing.

Willeford is the one most recently mentioned. Others are scattered in the above comments. We read them, and people, in my opinion, are missing the boat who do not read them.

Thanks for the reminder that need to re-read The Illiad. I was so impressed with myself that I read it and understood it even though it was years ago. Thought it would be too difficult for me but it was wonderful.

Tolstoy, what a hack.

David wrote: "Tolstoy, what a hack."

I dont know i havent read him yet ;) I have read parts his epic scope of War and Peace that made me think i would need two months to read the book just because how dense it is and not how big the book is.

It depends on what he does with the big page count. Proust for example is fat books and hard to read but worth it. Swann's Way made me smile through many pages.

I prefer Gogol of the Russian/Ukrainian authors anyway.

Tfitoby wrote: "Flash Beagle wrote: "I'm reading Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene."

Hey Flash, great choice, it was my first Greene and still my favourite. I had a great time reading it. If you get to see the m..."

I love Alec Guinness.

Speaking of long books, Our Man in Havana packs a sizeable story in a slim 228 pages. I actually wish it was longer. Maybe I'll re-read it and do my savoring that way!

Flash Beagle wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "Flash Beagle wrote: "I'm reading Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene."

Hey Flash, great choice, it was my first Greene and still my favourite. I had a great time reading it. If you ..."

I still say Our Man in Havana is the most accurate espionage book ever written! If you're looking for something longer, well, Greene wrote a lot of those, too!

Mohammed wrote: "David wrote: "Tolstoy, what a hack."

I dont know i havent read him yet ;) I have read parts his epic scope of War and Peace that made me think i would need two months to read the book just becaus..."

Dostoevsky is one of my favorites besides Gogol.

Mohammed wrote: "David wrote: "Tolstoy, what a hack."

I dont know i havent read him yet ;) I have read parts his epic scope of War and Peace that made me think i would need two months to read the book just becaus..."

I read Crime and Punishment back in my college days and loved it.

I just finished Clean Coal Killers by David E. Manuel. He's kind of a snarky Quarry working for the gov't - sort of - & full of conspiracy theories. Lots of fun.

Just finished The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

Adam wrote: "I just finished John Le Carre's The Spy Wh Came in from the Cold. I've shied away from Le Carre in the past because I found it boring and confusing. I now blame myself for not giving this an hone..."

haven't read it, but BBC channel four had a radio show of it that told the story well.

Jim wrote: "I just finished Clean Coal Killers by David E. Manuel. He's kind of a snarky Quarry working for the gov't - sort of - & full of conspiracy theories. Lots of fun."

Iis it noirish i wonder because of your Quarry comment?

I'm Reading Rain Fall by Barry Eisler.

I just read 'Rain Fall' not long ago. Good book. In some ways, the tone reminded me of another I read many years ago, Shibumi.

Starting Gun Church. Still haven't read any of his Moe Prager series, but this was sitting on the new release shelf at my library so I thought I'd give it a try.

Nearly halfway through Blood Safari by
Deon Meyer.

Does anyone read "pulp" all the time? I need to mix things around constantly.

Col, I'm currently reading Miranda Carter's Anthony Blunt and Christoph Fischer's The Luck of the Weissensteiners. Afraid I can't just read "pulp" either.

I definitely mix it up both by how I read the book & what I read. I don't see how anyone could stick to just one genre all the time, but my wife manages it. She always wants epic fantasy lately. While I go through spells, she's been stuck for years.

I've been listening to Stark's Parker series interspersed with The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, The Hunger Games, & now Drama: An Actor's Education an autobiography by John Lithgow. Another couple of Parker novels are up next.

I've been reading some new pulp by David E. Manuel, an expensive collection of horror by Karl E. Wagner, & some UF/PNR stuff. Right now I'm reading The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard & Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material.

Jim wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard ..."

I thought The Hot Kid was one of Leonard's better books. The sequel,
Up in Honey's Room, was not nearly as interesting, IMHO.

Thanks for letting me know, Mike. Leonard is good, but even the master has his off moments. Carl is reminding me of a young, vain version of Raylan.

Mike wrote: "Jim wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard ..."

I thought The Hot Kid was one of Leonard's better books. The sequel,
Up in Honey's Room, was not nearly as interesting, IMHO."

Comfort to the enemy is the Third book in the series and its much better than Up in Honey's Room. I think it and the Hot Kid is among his best books. I wish he went back to Carl.

Thanks!

I'm reading The Secret in Their Eyes , I already knew the story from watching the movie, but the book is worth it for its more leisure rhythm and greater attention to detail. I would classify it s existentialist noir, closer in flavor to the Scandinavian writers than to American pulp, introspective and mostly gloomy.

Reading Parker by Richard Stark. Was interested in it because the movie was coming out. Movie seems like it will be different than the book.

Currently reading Survivor

Just started Mixed Blood by Roger Smith. So far it's very good

Russ wrote: "Just started Mixed Blood by Roger Smith. So far it's very good"

I read this late last year - blew me away, I don't think you'll be disappointed

Ronhummer wrote: "Reading Parker by Richard Stark. Was interested in it because the movie was coming out. Movie seems like it will be different than the book."

Which Parker do you mean? The Hunter?

Jim wrote: "Thanks for letting me know, Mike. Leonard is good, but even the master has his off moments. Carl is reminding me of a young, vain version of Raylan."

Have you read the new Raylan novel or only the two old books? The old ones are pure awesome and the real inspiration for Justified.

After reading The Sins of the Fathers I've become a major Lawrence Block fan. During the last 14 days I've read 13 of the Matthew Scudder series, which seems to get better as it goes along.I like the way his relationships with Elaine and now TJ continue to develop. Presently reading Block's non-Scudder novel Small Townand so far it is gripping, as well. Will start on the Burglar series when I exhaust the library's Scudder selection. I enjoy this forum.

I think just the 2 older stories, Mohammed. I lose track after a while.

Joe wrote: "After reading The Sins of the Fathers I've become a major Lawrence Block fan. During the last 14 days I've read 13 of the Matthew Scudder series, which seems to get better as it goes along.I like t..."

Joe that's some intense reading, I admire your stamina for keeping up with Scudder in such a way but I can definitely empathise with your desire to keep reading Block.

Algernon wrote: "I'm reading The Secret in Their Eyes , I already knew the story from watching the movie, but the book is worth it for its more leisure rhythm and greater attention to detail. I would classify it s ..."

That was a great movie, I didn't even think about the book when I saw it. How does it compare?