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Sunday, 9 November 2014

LOGGING THE LIBRARY - PART SIX

Another 50.......
Tub 6

Hans Keilson, Don Taylor, Daniel Friedman, a couple by Roger Simon 

I think most of these came from my trip to Lowestoft in July
Intriguing cover, what's the book about though?
MORNING DARK is a story of three generations of men, each consumed by the memories of war and violence. Big Walt is a WWII hero, his son Walt a Vietnam veteran, and Walt's nephew Tom Jane is a thirty-year old career soldier now dishonourably discharged. When Walt, drawn into a harrowing situation on unfamiliar soil, needs rescuing, Tom must forfeit his failure to save his desperate relative. The dangerous trip may be his only chance at salvation.

Review

An uncompromising novel about what the rough striving of our darkest selves has brought us to at the opening of the 21st century. And "Morning Dark" is a hell of an exciting read to boot."--Robert Olen Butler
"[An] unsparring vision...William Faulkner is supposed to have said that all great American novels are about sons looking for fathers. He would have found much to recognize and admire in Daniel Buckman's "Morning Dark"."--Tom Nolan, "San Francisco Chronicle"
"Buckman is a master of character development and interpersonal analysis, and his slice-of-life tale of family dysfunction is right on target. Many men will identify with this family as they struggle to save themselves from the war still raging within." --"Library Journal" (starred review)
"A painfully beautiful saga...exceptional writing compels the reader on to the last page. This is a book that won't be easily forgotten." --"Booklist"
Mark Timlin - PI series, Donald Goines, David Armstrong, Jack Higgins and Stan Lee - espionage-ish

Nele Neuhaus, Clay Reynolds, Bill James and Christopher Brookmyre

Scottish author

Gayle galore - though I have never read him, Tony Parsons


Brookmyre again, Mark Haddon x 2, Richard Price and Bill Fitzhugh

Fletcher Flora 50's crime, Robert Campbell, Herbert Lieberman, Jefferson Parker and Timlin again

Parker, Timlin, Rankin, Deaver and Iain McDowall



Child, Puzo, Koontz, Thompson, Harry Grey

Gerritsen (my wife's), Robert Wilson and 3 novelisations from an iconic UK TV show with Robbie Coltrane

Thoughts on the above........I do hope I like Mike Gayle when I eventually get around to reading him. He doesn't write crime fiction, more sort of modern man - naval gazing - male chick-lit. Ditto Tony Parsons. Dean Koontz - loved him about 25 years ago, though mostly the last 4 or 5 from him over the past 10 years or so have disappointed. I still hold out a bit of hope that I re-discover that feeling I used to have when reading him.

There's a few that kind of resemble house bricks. Not especially looking forward to the Gerritsen.

Highlights......nothing stand out that I want to read immediately. I reckon I will enjoy most of them if or when I get there. Jefferson Parker - I have enjoyed in the past, though I haven't read him for a good while now. Ditto Robert Campbell and Herbert Lieberman.

Fletcher Flora - might come in handy if 1958 comes up as one of Past Offences' reading years.

Of the 50, I think I may have read possibly 3 before - both Mark Haddon books - definitely the first plus the Jim Thompson book.


50 more next week!

FULL LIST.....

ARMSTRONG DAVID LESS THAN KIND 1994 JM2 F
BATES QUENTIN CHILLED TO THE BONE 2013 GM3 F
BROOKMYRE CHRISTOPHER NOT THE END OF THE WORLD 1998 F
BROOKMYRE CHRISTOPHER ONE FINE DAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT 1999 F
BROOKMYRE CHRISTOPHER THE SACRED ART OF STEALING 2002 ADX2 F
BROWN MOLLY CRACKER - TO SAY I LOVE YOU 1994 C2 F
BUCKMAN DANIEL MORNING DARK 2003 F
CAMPBELL ROBERT RED CENT 1989 JH2 F
CHILD LEE PERSUADER 2003 JR7 F
DEAVER JEFFERY HELL'S KITCHEN 2001 JP3 F
FITZHUGH BILL CROSS DRESSING 2000 F
FLORA FLETCHER WHISPERS OF THE FLESH 1958 F
FRIEDMAN DANIEL DON'T EVER GET OLD 2012 BS1 F
GAYLE MIKE HIS 'N' HERS 1999 F
GAYLE MIKE MR COMMITMENT 2004 F
GAYLE MIKE BRAND NEW FRIEND 2005 F
GAYLE MIKE WISH YOU WERE HERE 2007 F
GERRITSEN TESS LIFE SUPPORT 1997 F
GIBSON WILLIAM SPOOK COUNTRY 2006 BAT2 F
GOINES DONALD BLACK GANGSTER 1972 F
GREY HARRY THE HOODS 1952 N
HADDON MARK THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME 2002 F
HADDON MARK A SPOT OF BOTHER 2006 F
HIGGINS JACK THE KEYS OF HELL 1965 PC3 F
JAMES BILL FORGET IT 1995 B+J1 F
KEILSON HANS LIFE GOES ON 1932 F
KOONTZ DEAN THE HUSBAND 2006 F
LEE STAN DUNN'S CONUNDRUM 1985 F
LIEBERMAN HERBERT NIGHT CALL FROM A DISTANT TIME ZONE 1982 F
McDOWALL IAIN PERFECTLY DEAD 2003 J+K3 F
McGILLOWAY BRIAN THE RISING 2010 IBD4 F
NEUHAUS NELE SNOW WHITE MUST DIE 2013 B+K1 F
PARKER T. JEFFERSON THE TRIGGERMAN'S DANCE 1996 F
PARKER T. JEFFERSON COLD PURSUIT 2003 F
PARSONS TONY MAN AND WIFE 2002 HS2 F
PRICE RICHARD FREEDOMLAND 1998 F
PUZO MARIO THE SICILIAN 1984 G2 F
RANKIN IAN THE FALLS 2001 IR12 F
REYNOLDS CLAY PLAYERS 1997 F
ROBERTS GARETH CRACKER - TO BE A SOMEBODY 1995 C4 F
ROBERTS GARETH CRACKER - BEST BOYS 1996 C8 F
SEATON MATT THE ESCAPE ARTIST 2002 N
SIMON ROGER L. PEKING DUCK 1973 MW1 F
SIMON ROGER L. THE BIG FIX 1979 MW3 F
TAYLOR DON DIRTY LAUNDRY 1998 F
THOMPSON JIM KING BLOOD 1973 F
TIMLIN MARK GUN STREET GIRL 1990 NS3 F
TIMLIN MARK SHARMAN AND OTHER FILTH 1996 NS F
TIMLIN MARK A STREET THAT RHYMED AT 3AM 1997 NS13 F
WILSON ROBERT A DARKENING STAIN 1998 BM4 F

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22 comments:

  1. Prashant C. Trikannad10 November 2014 at 00:46

    Col, I'm curious about the Cracker novels — never heard of the writer or the books. I have never tried Dean Koontz. I was delighted to spot a Jack Higgins in your tub and that too a novel I have read. Not his best but still entertaining. Talk of bias! How do you decide which ones to read? I think I can stand all my books on a cheese plate.

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  2. col291010 November 2014 at 01:01

    Cracker was a UK TV series back in the 80's I think which had Robbie Coltrane working as a profiler with the police. Great dramas. The books are for the main part novelisations of series episodes - I think there are maybe 10 or 11 books which were written by different authors in the main. I'm not usually a fan of novelisations of film or TV but thought I would try them some day.
    25 years ago if you asked me who my favourite author was I would have said Dean Koontz without much hesitation. I think he peaked around 1990 though in my opinion and has struggled to capture my attention in the same way since. I keep hoping he has one more satisfying book in his locker though!
    Higgins - short and sweet I hope!
    I think I'm struggling to read my own books this year, having agreed to read and review too many things at other's bequest. I find it hard to turn people down though. Maybe when I get caught up, I will read through a tub start to finish - should take about 6 months maybe.

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    1. Prashant C. Trikannad10 November 2014 at 01:29

      Col, Higgins is usually short and sweet. Even his long novels are easy reads. He doesn't go into details and tells it like it is. You read his espionage novels and you are thinking — "I can write this!" A dozen years ago, I was wondering whether to read Dean Koontz or Martin Cruz Smith when a colleague recommended Cruz Smith as being far superior of the two. A matter of opinion, no doubt, but I never read Koontz.

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    2. col291010 November 2014 at 02:46

      Short and sweet is the order of the day! I have read a few from Cruz Smith and have more to read. If forced to pick today I would choose him over Koontz - 15 years ago I would have been undecided, earlier it would have been Dean.

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  3. Clothes In Books10 November 2014 at 01:14

    That's a lot of male writers isn't it? Not going to do much for your gender balance, apart from the Gerritsen. What IS that one called Morning Dark? I just tried looking it up, but no joy.
    I recommend the choose-a-tub method - I've had more success than I've ever had by doing a choose-a-shelf-and-stick-to-it challenge. Because in the early days there's plenty of choice of books, I don't get tired of it. There does come the final days, when some book you've been avoiding for, what, ten years, finally becomes unavoidable, but then you feel quite brave tackling it....

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    1. col291010 November 2014 at 02:43

      Morning Dark - more detail above
      Male v female - 47 against 3.Houston I have a problem!
      I quite like the tub challenge and may go for it in the future, though I have some commitments hanging over me that I would want to clear up in advance.
      A tub challenge does sound good - I reckon I might do that, but would perhaps substitute in an earlier series book where a later one appeared

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    2. Clothes In Books10 November 2014 at 03:41

      Hmm, thanks for the info, but probably not seeking it out after all. Substitutions sound fair enough - a late Sue Grafton came up on my shelf so I put it aside. At least with hers it's easy to see where something comes in the series!

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    3. col291010 November 2014 at 03:48

      No problem - I'll read it and post it to you......haha, that will force your hand.
      I kind of wish I had put a column on the spreadsheet for gender - 300 books in - should I go back and amend?

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    4. Clothes In Books10 November 2014 at 04:40

      For the first time this year I've added a gender column to my reading spreadsheet, & wish I'd done it earlier. It would probably only take you half an hour to add the column and catch up, if you do it NOW!

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    5. col291010 November 2014 at 04:56

      Probably makes sense........heavy sigh. I'm kind of thinking AUTHOR NATIONALITY might be another interesting stat. to have (to me at least).

      I'll have author, title, year of publication, series and position in series, fiction/non-fiction, gender, author nationality .......anything else recommended? I won't want to re-visit after 300 books!

      I'm thinking it might be an interesting snapshot of the library if I summarise 10 or 20 tubs in a future post.

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    6. Clothes In Books10 November 2014 at 05:57

      That sounds like a good collection of facts. The mind does boggle at the sheer size of the project...

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    7. col291010 November 2014 at 06:07

      I think if I do it as I go along from now on, it shouldn't add too much to the task, particularly M/F and with nationality I probably have a fairly good idea of who is from where. I think it would be interesting to see the make up of the library. Taking an educated guess I would reckon - 92% male authors - only in that I don't reckon 1 in 10 of my books is by a female and I'll say 70% of my books are by US authors.

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  4. Bernadette10 November 2014 at 01:16

    I tried to leave a comment from my iPad but no - blogger hates iPads.

    the one that leaps out to me is the Christopher Brookmyre - I adore the way he writes

    It's funny how your favourite authors change other time - mine was once Stephen King - these days I can barely tolerate him - either his new stuff or the old stuff I used to love - still love Douglas Adams though

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    1. col291010 November 2014 at 02:51

      Bernadette - I have only read the one Brookmyre, though have 10 plus lurking - yes I am completely mad.
      King would have been my favourite pre-Koontz. I don't really think there was anyone before him. I still have a few of his books to read, though he does have a tendency to use 50 words where 2 would suffice. I did love him - half a lifetime ago!
      Douglas Adams - I never tried.

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  5. Anonymous10 November 2014 at 04:28

    Col - I notice you have some T. Jefferson Parker. I'll be keen to know what you think of those books. And I see Snow White Must Die there, too; I'll also be really interested to read your review of that one. Oh, and I'll add my vote to Bernadette's for Douglas Adams. He was so witty and talented!

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    1. col291010 November 2014 at 04:48

      I have only read some early T. Jefferson Parkers, so I'm looking forward to these when I get there. It might be a while!

      Ditto what will be my first taste of Neuhaus. I read some decent reviews of this one and it was cheap so couldn't refuse it.

      Adams - I'm well aware of - especially HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE - but it never really appealed to me. I need to draw the line somewhere, so I don't think I'll have a second glimpse at them :(

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  6. TracyK10 November 2014 at 15:21

    Male chick lit. I like that.

    I want to read the Roger L. Simon books and I cannot remember if I have the first one or not.

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    1. col291010 November 2014 at 20:36

      Male chick lit - you like that, let's hope I do!
      Simon's books have the advantage of being quiet short, so maybe next year, when I know exactly which ones I have, I will read at least one.

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    2. TracyK11 November 2014 at 08:47

      Well, The Big Fix is the first in the series. I don't know if I have read it ever, but did see the movie. Must have been when Glen and I were first seeing each other.

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    3. col291011 November 2014 at 08:52

      Thanks - I can make a start at least! I will keep an eye out for the film, though TBH I doubt it will come up on the small screen.....you never know.
      1978 was the movie - was it any good, or were you too busy canoodling to notice? Only teasing! Sorry if I made you blush.

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    4. TracyK11 November 2014 at 09:26

      No blushing here. But when we watch movies, we are serious about the movie. We could have in this theater though, because we were almost the only ones in the theater. We were still in Riverside, CA, but maybe moved in together by that time. I would mainly rewatch the movie myself to get the picture of a young Richard Dreyfuss as the detective.

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    5. col291011 November 2014 at 10:21

      I have liked Dreyfuss in a few things over the years. I don't suppose there were any follow-on films, I will go and look it up and maybe see if there is a cheap copy around.

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