BOOKS THREAD

Susan was eating lunch. She was radiant as she cut her pea in half with a knife, saving the remainder for dinner.

"I want you," she said.




We'll have this sucker done in no time.

 

At the gym, Hawk worked the heavy bag while singing selections from "Guys and Dolls." His head glistened like a great obsidian marble.

"You know, I once fought Jersey Joe Walcott," I said.

"Sho nuff," said Hawk, kindly ignoring the fact that it would make me about 90 years old.

 

This is great stuff, boys. Keep at it!

And I always wondered how a guy Spenser's age could have fought Walcott!

 

The next morning I sat in my office. A beautiful blonde walked in.

"I need you to find something," she said, clutching her handbag.

"How do you know it's really lost?"

"Do you think you're funny?" she asked.

"I am."

"You're irresistable," she said, removing her blouse.

"I am. But I'm taken."

 

Recently read three good ones:
Hillenbrand's Unbreakable was outstanding. Didn't know much about the story, which I was glad about. Great details throughout.
David Grann's The Devil and Sherlock Holmes. A collection of his past work, each story really compelling. I loved The Lost City of Z.
Allison Hoover's The Man Who Loved Books Too Much. About a guy who steals rare books and a book dealer trying to catch him. It was a great look into a world I didn't know much about and the book thief was a really interesting weirdo.

 

Agree that "Unbreakable" was phenomenal. Just finished "The Tiger's Wife" by Tea Obrecht (who is in her mid-20's, for Pete's sake). Great story, beautifully written. Highly recommended.

 

Just finished a phenomenal book: "Rat Girl," by Kristin Hersh, lead singer of Throwing Muses and, more recently, 50 Foot Wave. If you're an '80s alt-rock fan, or grew up on around the Boston-Providence music scene, well, that's one reason you've got to read this.
It's based on her diary from 1985-86, over a 12-month-plus period (age 18-19) in which she was diagnosed as bipolar (voices in her head, living essentially as a squatter in different places), the Muses got a record deal, and she became pregnant (she is silent on the event, and the father). Her observations on record company executives, journalists, and the recording process (in the studio while eight months pregnant) are also pretty funny and memorable.
Finally, the reason this book needs a screenplay: her odd relationship with actress Betty Hutton, old enough to be her grandmother. They both take her dad's class at Salve Regina U. in Newport, and become study pals and muse to one another - it gets dusty when Kristin goes to Boston, and when she decamps home to Newport in a freakout over the recording session going poorly. And the movie has to include the scene of them having coffee at Newport Creamery, the pregnant teenage musician and the over-the-hill actress, playing paper football in a booth (you can't make shit like that up).

 

Just finished Columbine after someone here recommended it and thought it was outstanding.

Any other suggestions for true crime books?

Also: I've found audiobooks, for me, are the way to go. I get thru books 10 times faster. Worth the higher price imo.