just finished this, best novel i've read in a while...
I referenced that book last week in a PM to that Bassie poasteur. I was talking about Cormac McCarthy's The Road which I recently read and said that Blindness is the only book that approaches it in the realm of total despair.*
Then I went on to mention that I'm on a McCarthy kick after that and No Country.... Finished All The Pretty Horses last night and will now start the other 2/3 of the border trilogy.
*That afternoon, I got on the train after work and dove into my book. When I got to my stop, I excused myself to get past the guy next to me--who was reading Blindness! I said, "Hey, I was just telling my friend today how bleak that book is!" He said, "Oh, you're reading Cormac--have you read The Road?"
just finished this, best novel i've read in a while...
I referenced that book last week in a PM to that Bassie poasteur. I was talking about Cormac McCarthy's The Road which I recently read and said that Blindness is the only book that approaches it in the realm of total despair.*
Then I went on to mention that I'm on a McCarthy kick after that and No Country.... Finished All The Pretty Horses last night and will now start the other 2/3 of the border trilogy.
*That afternoon, I got on the train after work and dove into my book. When I got to my stop, I excused myself to get past the guy next to me--who was reading Blindness! I said, "Hey, I was just telling my friend today how bleak that book is!" He said, "Oh, you're reading Cormac--have you read The Road?"
Great commuters think alike.
i feel like both books give you little glimmers of hope, tho. In Saramago, any time a dog shows up, the heartstrings are going to get tugged a little.
For sheer bleakness, I don't think Dennis Cooper can be matched. Anyone read this one? Holy shit it's terrifying.
just finished this, best novel i've read in a while...
I referenced that book last week in a PM to that Bassie poasteur. I was talking about Cormac McCarthy's The Road which I recently read and said that Blindness is the only book that approaches it in the realm of total despair.*
Then I went on to mention that I'm on a McCarthy kick after that and No Country.... Finished All The Pretty Horses last night and will now start the other 2/3 of the border trilogy.
*That afternoon, I got on the train after work and dove into my book. When I got to my stop, I excused myself to get past the guy next to me--who was reading Blindness! I said, "Hey, I was just telling my friend today how bleak that book is!" He said, "Oh, you're reading Cormac--have you read The Road?"
Great commuters think alike.
It's true - McCarthy is because of RossHogg and I picked up Drown on Faux's recommend.
just finished this, best novel i've read in a while...
I referenced that book last week in a PM to that Bassie poasteur. I was talking about Cormac McCarthy's The Road which I recently read and said that Blindness is the only book that approaches it in the realm of total despair.*
yeah, Blindness and The Road are really similar, was saying the same thing last week to the guy who recommended Blindness to me... they both have a sort of soft focus view of the apocalypse... which is to say, unlike something like The Stand by S. King, they don't concern themselves with having a broad scope or covering every detail, they just present what is relevant to the point they want to get across; it's an allegory...
that said, i think Blindess and The Road are attempting the same goals, but somehow only Blindness pulls it off... w/ The Road there just isn't enough MOVEMENT, it's like an endless film loop, wheras Blindness has an arc to it, it carries you somewhere, both story-wise and as a journey about the "what if?" untapped potentials of human beings. they both tap the same dark side, but somehow with Blindness its a means to an end, a way to show the full scope of humanity. with the The Road, it (at least to me) never reaches that level...
and @Onetet, i am bummed that you say Saramago has no books as good as Blindness, i was wondering that myself...
Then I went on to mention that I'm on a McCarthy kick after that and No Country.... Finished All The Pretty Horses last night and will now start the other 2/3 of the border trilogy.
I just read All the Pretty Horses and The Crossing back to back. The reviews for AtPH made me expect something of a miracle, and while I'm not sure if my expectations were fully met, the last pages were absolutely riveting. Avoid Billy Bob Thornton's film version, it moves like an express train through the plot points.
The Crossing is a much more complex work, I thought. In certain respects better than AtPH, but ultimately somewhat impenetrable like its main characters. And (minor spoiler) nothing like the ending of AtPH to bring it together. Gotta get started on the last part of the trilogy soon enough...
I'm almost finished with Coetzee's Dusklands-- a good, concise read; a very mature debut.
and @Onetet, i am bummed that you say Saramago has no books as good as Blindness, i was wondering that myself...
just started this:
Almost all of his books are as well-written as Blindness, but none has stories as compelling or themes as haunting.
I've read a few Denis johnson books that I've loved -- Jesus' Son and Name of the World at the top of the list -- and several that I've hated so much I could hardly believe they were written by the same person. How's this one so far?
anyone else down with:
...I usually recommend that one to people who crack open Inifinite Jest, only to find that it's a massive case of the emperor's new clothes. But IMO Vollmann is the real thing.
just finished this, best novel i've read in a while...
Great book, haven't read it in years. There's going to be a film adaptation of it later this year I think.
yes, from the director of City of God! The only guy I could think of who could film it better would be Michael Haneke (altho he already made a very similar film w/ Time of the Wolf).
Blindness has an interesting cast as well...
Julianne Moore ... Doctor's Wife
Mark Ruffalo ... Doctor
Gael Garc??a Bernal ... King of Ward 3
Danny Glover ... Old man with the black eye patch / Narrator
I read this book when I was in Catalonia last year. Beautiful. I loved it. I happened to be staying in the flat of a socialist whose grandmother was an anarchist who died in the war. We had several heated conversations. It's great seeing people so passionate about their history.
My favorite part of the book (with a photo I took on the street described):
At the beginning, before the food-shortage became acute and the newspapers began stirring up hatred, there was a tendency to regard the whole affair as a joke. This was the kind of thing that happened every year in Barcelona, people were saying. George Tioli, an Italian journalist, a great friend of ours, came in with his trousers drenched with blood. He had gone out to see what was happening and had been binding up a wounded man on the pavement when someone playfully tossed a hand-grenade at him, fortunately not wounding him seriously. I remember his remarking that the Barcelona paving-stones ought to be numbered; it would save such a lot of trouble in building and demolishing barricades.
And Ross/Bassie:
I referenced that book last week in a PM to that Bassie poasteur. I was talking about Cormac McCarthy's The Road which I recently read and said that Blindness is the only book that approaches it in the realm of total despair.
Then I went on to mention that I'm on a McCarthy kick after that and No Country.... Finished All The Pretty Horses last night and will now start the other 2/3 of the border trilogy.
I'm going to start my McCarthy kick this year. I've been told (hardcore Dave) that Blood Meridian is the place to start. Please advise.
You saw Oprah interview McCarthy, right? God, she's awful.
Really enjoyed this, although obviously highly regarded, only Mailer book I have read, but really like his style and he seems to get very close to Foreman and particulary Ali so gives a great insight into the mind sets of the too fighters. Also gives a great view of Zaire at the time.
book i'm reading at the moment is:
my girlfriend bought me this for my birthday (only read some of the album spotlights at the moment but looks good, nice hardback version too):
Think I'm gonna read the Master and The Margarita again soon as well. I bought it after reading about it on here (I know its a classic and I prob should have heard of it elsewhere, but I don't know too much about books), I enjoyed it but read it really disjointedly so think I missed a lot of detail.
Also made a note of a lot of jazz books that are in my uni library, seem to be a lot of very interesting ones that I'll have to borrow from there, some that were recommended here, like Orin Keepnews ones.
So big fan of these threads, find a lot of interesting things via this site, so keep it up guys and I'll keep lurking
and @Onetet, i am bummed that you say Saramago has no books as good as Blindness, i was wondering that myself...
just started this:
Almost all of his books are as well-written as Blindness, but none has stories as compelling or themes as haunting.
I've read a few Denis johnson books that I've loved -- Jesus' Son and Name of the World at the top of the list -- and several that I've hated so much I could hardly believe they were written by the same person. How's this one so far?
In prep to read this, I wanted to explore DJ's catalog further than 'Jesus' Son'- read 'Angels,' which I LOVED, 'Resuscitation of a Hanged Mand,' which had good moments, and am in the middle of 'Fiskadoro,' which I don't think I love. It is VERY out of the ordinary for his books- post-apocolypse shit, you know?
Looking forward to 'Tree of Smoke,' though, as it follows Bill Houston, who if it is the same character, was the man at the heart of 'Angels.'
In prep to read this, I wanted to explore DJ's catalog further than 'Jesus' Son'- read 'Angels,' which I LOVED, 'Resuscitation of a Hanged Mand,' which had good moments, and am in the middle of 'Fiskadoro,' which I don't think I love. It is VERY out of the ordinary for his books- post-apocolypse shit, you know?
Looking forward to 'Tree of Smoke,' though, as it follows Bill Houston, who if it is the same character, was the man at the heart of 'Angels.'
hmm, I'm trying to remember which one Angels is. I may not have read it... if not, sounds like I should. I tried Fiskadoro and didn't get very far. Already Dead was erratic, flashes of Jesus' Son's greatness but ultimately couldn't sustain the magic over a much longer text. That's my worry about Tree of Smoke, too, but I'm still curious.
In prep to read this, I wanted to explore DJ's catalog further than 'Jesus' Son'- read 'Angels,' which I LOVED, 'Resuscitation of a Hanged Mand,' which had good moments, and am in the middle of 'Fiskadoro,' which I don't think I love. It is VERY out of the ordinary for his books- post-apocolypse shit, you know?
Looking forward to 'Tree of Smoke,' though, as it follows Bill Houston, who if it is the same character, was the man at the heart of 'Angels.'
hmm, I'm trying to remember which one Angels is. I may not have read it... if not, sounds like I should. I tried Fiskadoro and didn't get very far. Already Dead was erratic, flashes of Jesus' Son's greatness but ultimately couldn't sustain the magic over a much longer text. That's my worry about Tree of Smoke, too, but I'm still curious.
Angels was beautifully written, and uncomprehendably depressing.
I give it my highest recommendation, though. Great book.
That's great they're making a movie of 'Blindess'. I'd agree that it is Saramago's strongest book, but 'Gospel According to Jesus Christ' and 'The Cave' are worth reading as well. For some reason I had trouble getting into 'The Stone Raft.'
Anyway, currently reading 'This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession' by Daniel Levitin.
That's great they're making a movie of 'Blindess'. I'd agree that it is Saramago's strongest book, but 'Gospel According to Jesus Christ' and 'The Cave' are worth reading as well. For some reason I had trouble getting into 'The Stone Raft.'
Yeah, I finished Stone Raft but found it kinda silly. I couldn't finish Year in the Death of Ricardo Reis. Supposed to be one of his best, I felt like I was missing too many cultural/historical references.
After Blindness, I'd say The Cave, All the Names, and The Double are all pretty good. And Seeing is worth a look given that it follows up on some of Blindness' characters.
His style is a pleasure to read, it sucks you right in, but none of these others approach Blindness... the narratives are thinner and certain character types and themes reappear all too often. As I mentioned earlier, almost every Saramago book has a loveable dog in it, with far too many ruminations by tired old men on the how dogs are more loyal and sympathetic and less judgmental than people.
For those into Saramago, have you delved into Javier Marias? I've enjoyed many of his, and although they write in different languages, some of their novels share an English translator.
This one's great:
and for those who appreciate Saramago's style, I can't recommend Thomas Bernhard enough:
In prep to read this, I wanted to explore DJ's catalog further than 'Jesus' Son'- read 'Angels,' which I LOVED, 'Resuscitation of a Hanged Mand,' which had good moments, and am in the middle of 'Fiskadoro,' which I don't think I love. It is VERY out of the ordinary for his books- post-apocolypse shit, you know?
Looking forward to 'Tree of Smoke,' though, as it follows Bill Houston, who if it is the same character, was the man at the heart of 'Angels.'
hmm, I'm trying to remember which one Angels is. I may not have read it... if not, sounds like I should. I tried Fiskadoro and didn't get very far. Already Dead was erratic, flashes of Jesus' Son's greatness but ultimately couldn't sustain the magic over a much longer text. That's my worry about Tree of Smoke, too, but I'm still curious.
Fiskadero was an interesting idea, take DJ out of the underclass world of lowlifes and drug addicts and put him into a post-apocalytic thing (like The Road!), but i feel like at that point in his writing, he just didn't have the chops to pull it off...
denis johnson i have read:
jesus's son = awesome lowlife short stories
angels = basically a novel in the same mileiu, with the a more mystical touch than before
resuscitation of a hanged man - takes place in cape cod, which was nice, but didn't really take too much away from this... i guess, semi-scumbaggy... dive bars n stuff... so, inbetween the all out scumbaggery of jesus' son and the straightlaced college prof of The Name of the Word
the name of the world- a college professor in a sort of midlife crisis... has a sort of detached voice to it, the grit is gone... which is to say, the mature voice of someone who lived thru a wild youth... reminds me a little bit of White Noise (college profs n all), but not so meta, yunno?
already dead- started this, got about halfway thru and kind of stopped, i don't know... something about it didn't click with me... "about" a humboldt county weed grower, but also about other stuff... i don't... almost like a DJ version of a Tom Wolfe book, where the charectors feel almost like parodies of themselves...
so, far i am digging Tree of Smoke, but i am not that far into it... i have high expectations, b/c right now, i feel like as an author, Johnson never really surpassed Angels and Jesus' Son...
if people like early denis johnson, i'd almost suggest skipping alot of the midperiod stuff and just give Tree of Smoke a try... or read John Fante, Hubert Selby, and Leonard Gardner!
Anyone have some solid true crime recommendations? Looking for something gripping and maybe even obsessive in tone, but also well- researched -- writing that's not going to waste my time w/ unsubstantiated conspiracy theories and/or juvenile writing.
Read some standards like In Cold Blood, Helter Skelter, Homicide, The Corner, Low Life (only partially focused on crime), both Graysmith books on the Zodiac killer.
Urban settings and action taking place post-1900 a plus.
Urban settings and action taking place post-1900 a plus.
maybe not exactly what you're looking for but i read an excellent book about the razor gangs in darlinghurst in sydney in the 1920s called razorhurst. can't even remember who wrote it, that's how helpful I am, but it's an excellent read if you can track it down. The area was considered the most dangerous slum in the world at the time, fools would just slash random people in the face with straight razors...
Urban settings and action taking place post-1900 a plus.
maybe not exactly what you're looking for but i read an excellent book about the razor gangs in darlinghurst in sydney in the 1920s called razorhurst. can't even remember who wrote it, that's how helpful I am, but it's an excellent read if you can track it down. The area was considered the most dangerous slum in the world at the time, fools would just slash random people in the face with straight razors...
Edit: "Adapted from the award winning book Razor, by Larry Writer ?? 2001, Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd." - that's the one.
sounds interesting, thanks for the head's up.
on the true crime, tip... anyone read this one?
NOT a great book, but I read it for the bmore connection and realized shortly into it that the dude writing the book ran a large portion of bmore organized crime in the 80s from a house about 5 doors down from where I live, dumped a few bodies off a bridge at the end of our block, etc. That elevated it from a decent read to rather riveting for me.
Anyone have some solid true crime recommendations? Looking for something gripping and maybe even obsessive in tone, but also well- researched -- writing that's not going to waste my time w/ unsubstantiated conspiracy theories and/or juvenile writing.
Read some standards like In Cold Blood, Helter Skelter, Homicide, The Corner, Low Life (only partially focused on crime), both Graysmith books on the Zodiac killer.
Urban settings and action taking place post-1900 a plus.
This is turn of the century, so may not be of interest but I heard the author get interviewed about this book when it originally came out.
Guy set up a murder house in Chicago where he would kill people and then hide them in the house. Pretty crazy story if I remember the interview correctly.
Anyone have some solid true crime recommendations? Looking for something gripping and maybe even obsessive in tone, but also well- researched -- writing that's not going to waste my time w/ unsubstantiated conspiracy theories and/or juvenile writing.
Read some standards like In Cold Blood, Helter Skelter, Homicide, The Corner, Low Life (only partially focused on crime), both Graysmith books on the Zodiac killer.
Urban settings and action taking place post-1900 a plus.
This is turn of the century, so may not be of interest but I heard the author get interviewed about this book when it originally came out.
Guy set up a murder house in Chicago where he would kill people and then hide them in the house. Pretty crazy story if I remember the interview correctly.
I am interested as I believe David Fincher is looking at possibly adapting this... isn't it set around the World Fair? Anyone read the book?
Comments
I referenced that book last week in a PM to that Bassie poasteur. I was talking about Cormac McCarthy's The Road which I recently read and said that Blindness is the only book that approaches it in the realm of total despair.*
Then I went on to mention that I'm on a McCarthy kick after that and No Country.... Finished All The Pretty Horses last night and will now start the other 2/3 of the border trilogy.
*That afternoon, I got on the train after work and dove into my book. When I got to my stop, I excused myself to get past the guy next to me--who was reading Blindness! I said, "Hey, I was just telling my friend today how bleak that book is!" He said, "Oh, you're reading Cormac--have you read The Road?"
Great commuters think alike.
i feel like both books give you little glimmers of hope, tho. In Saramago, any time a dog shows up, the heartstrings are going to get tugged a little.
For sheer bleakness, I don't think Dennis Cooper can be matched. Anyone read this one? Holy shit it's terrifying.
It's true - McCarthy is because of RossHogg and I picked up Drown on Faux's recommend.
SStrut Book Club!
yeah, Blindness and The Road are really similar, was saying the same thing last week to the guy who recommended Blindness to me... they both have a sort of soft focus view of the apocalypse... which is to say, unlike something like The Stand by S. King, they don't concern themselves with having a broad scope or covering every detail, they just present what is relevant to the point they want to get across; it's an allegory...
that said, i think Blindess and The Road are attempting the same goals, but somehow only Blindness pulls it off... w/ The Road there just isn't enough MOVEMENT, it's like an endless film loop, wheras Blindness has an arc to it, it carries you somewhere, both story-wise and as a journey about the "what if?" untapped potentials of human beings. they both tap the same dark side, but somehow with Blindness its a means to an end, a way to show the full scope of humanity. with the The Road, it (at least to me) never reaches that level...
and @Onetet, i am bummed that you say Saramago has no books as good as Blindness, i was wondering that myself...
just started this:
Great book, haven't read it in years. There's going to be a film adaptation of it later this year I think.
I just got around to reading this finally:
Next up is probably:
I just read All the Pretty Horses and The Crossing back to back. The reviews for AtPH made me expect something of a miracle, and while I'm not sure if my expectations were fully met, the last pages were absolutely riveting. Avoid Billy Bob Thornton's film version, it moves like an express train through the plot points.
The Crossing is a much more complex work, I thought. In certain respects better than AtPH, but ultimately somewhat impenetrable like its main characters. And (minor spoiler) nothing like the ending of AtPH to bring it together. Gotta get started on the last part of the trilogy soon enough...
I'm almost finished with Coetzee's Dusklands-- a good, concise read; a very mature debut.
Almost all of his books are as well-written as Blindness, but none has stories as compelling or themes as haunting.
I've read a few Denis johnson books that I've loved -- Jesus' Son and Name of the World at the top of the list -- and several that I've hated so much I could hardly believe they were written by the same person. How's this one so far?
anyone else down with:
...I usually recommend that one to people who crack open Inifinite Jest, only to find that it's a massive case of the emperor's new clothes. But IMO Vollmann is the real thing.
yes, from the director of City of God! The only guy I could think of who could film it better would be Michael Haneke (altho he already made a very similar film w/ Time of the Wolf).
Blindness has an interesting cast as well...
Julianne Moore ... Doctor's Wife
Mark Ruffalo ... Doctor
Gael Garc??a Bernal ... King of Ward 3
Danny Glover ... Old man with the black eye patch / Narrator
Sandra Oh ... Minister of health
I read this book when I was in Catalonia last year. Beautiful. I loved it. I happened to be staying in the flat of a socialist whose grandmother was an anarchist who died in the war. We had several heated conversations. It's great seeing people so passionate about their history.
My favorite part of the book (with a photo I took on the street described):
At the beginning, before the food-shortage became acute and the newspapers began stirring up hatred, there was a tendency to regard the whole affair as a joke. This was the kind of thing that happened every year in Barcelona, people were saying. George Tioli, an Italian journalist, a great friend of ours, came in with his trousers drenched with blood. He had gone out to see what was happening and had been binding up a wounded man on the pavement when someone playfully tossed a hand-grenade at him, fortunately not wounding him seriously. I remember his remarking that the Barcelona paving-stones ought to be numbered; it would save such a lot of trouble in building and demolishing barricades.
And Ross/Bassie:
I'm going to start my McCarthy kick this year. I've been told (hardcore Dave) that Blood Meridian is the place to start. Please advise.
You saw Oprah interview McCarthy, right? God, she's awful.
I'm currently reading a handful of books:
Really enjoyed this, although obviously highly regarded, only Mailer book I have read, but really like his style and he seems to get very close to Foreman and particulary Ali so gives a great insight into the mind sets of the too fighters. Also gives a great view of Zaire at the time.
book i'm reading at the moment is:
my girlfriend bought me this for my birthday (only read some of the album spotlights at the moment but looks good, nice hardback version too):
Think I'm gonna read the Master and The Margarita again soon as well. I bought it after reading about it on here (I know its a classic and I prob should have heard of it elsewhere, but I don't know too much about books), I enjoyed it but read it really disjointedly so think I missed a lot of detail.
Also made a note of a lot of jazz books that are in my uni library, seem to be a lot of very interesting ones that I'll have to borrow from there, some that were recommended here, like Orin Keepnews ones.
So big fan of these threads, find a lot of interesting things via this site, so keep it up guys and I'll keep lurking
have you lurked in this thread yet? talks a bit about white bicycles and house that trane built, and suggests plenty more music-related reading...
http://www.soulstrut.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=982947&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1
So thanks again for that onetet.
In prep to read this, I wanted to explore DJ's catalog further than 'Jesus' Son'- read 'Angels,' which I LOVED, 'Resuscitation of a Hanged Mand,' which had good moments, and am in the middle of 'Fiskadoro,' which I don't think I love. It is VERY out of the ordinary for his books- post-apocolypse shit, you know?
Looking forward to 'Tree of Smoke,' though, as it follows Bill Houston, who if it is the same character, was the man at the heart of 'Angels.'
hmm, I'm trying to remember which one Angels is. I may not have read it... if not, sounds like I should. I tried Fiskadoro and didn't get very far. Already Dead was erratic, flashes of Jesus' Son's greatness but ultimately couldn't sustain the magic over a much longer text. That's my worry about Tree of Smoke, too, but I'm still curious.
Angels was beautifully written, and uncomprehendably depressing.
I give it my highest recommendation, though. Great book.
I am reading this right now- it's AMAZING. So good. So funny.
Anyway, currently reading 'This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession' by Daniel Levitin.
Yeah, I finished Stone Raft but found it kinda silly. I couldn't finish Year in the Death of Ricardo Reis. Supposed to be one of his best, I felt like I was missing too many cultural/historical references.
After Blindness, I'd say The Cave, All the Names, and The Double are all pretty good. And Seeing is worth a look given that it follows up on some of Blindness' characters.
His style is a pleasure to read, it sucks you right in, but none of these others approach Blindness... the narratives are thinner and certain character types and themes reappear all too often. As I mentioned earlier, almost every Saramago book has a loveable dog in it, with far too many ruminations by tired old men on the how dogs are more loyal and sympathetic and less judgmental than people.
For those into Saramago, have you delved into Javier Marias? I've enjoyed many of his, and although they write in different languages, some of their novels share an English translator.
This one's great:
and for those who appreciate Saramago's style, I can't recommend Thomas Bernhard enough:
Fiskadero was an interesting idea, take DJ out of the underclass world of lowlifes and drug addicts and put him into a post-apocalytic thing (like The Road!), but i feel like at that point in his writing, he just didn't have the chops to pull it off...
denis johnson i have read:
jesus's son = awesome lowlife short stories
angels = basically a novel in the same mileiu, with the a more mystical touch than before
resuscitation of a hanged man - takes place in cape cod, which was nice, but didn't really take too much away from this... i guess, semi-scumbaggy... dive bars n stuff... so, inbetween the all out scumbaggery of jesus' son and the straightlaced college prof of The Name of the Word
the name of the world- a college professor in a sort of midlife crisis... has a sort of detached voice to it, the grit is gone... which is to say, the mature voice of someone who lived thru a wild youth... reminds me a little bit of White Noise (college profs n all), but not so meta, yunno?
already dead- started this, got about halfway thru and kind of stopped, i don't know... something about it didn't click with me... "about" a humboldt county weed grower, but also about other stuff... i don't... almost like a DJ version of a Tom Wolfe book, where the charectors feel almost like parodies of themselves...
so, far i am digging Tree of Smoke, but i am not that far into it... i have high expectations, b/c right now, i feel like as an author, Johnson never really surpassed Angels and Jesus' Son...
if people like early denis johnson, i'd almost suggest skipping alot of the midperiod stuff and just give Tree of Smoke a try... or read John Fante, Hubert Selby, and Leonard Gardner!
after a couple of years of keeping an eye out for it.
total. lunatic.
actually his life story is remarkably parrallel to that of
Helena Petrovska Blavatsky who also has a theosophy based on her ramblings but she didn't get her profit margins straight like old mate LRH.
Read some standards like In Cold Blood, Helter Skelter, Homicide, The Corner, Low Life (only partially focused on crime), both Graysmith books on the Zodiac killer.
Urban settings and action taking place post-1900 a plus.
maybe not exactly what you're looking for but i read an excellent book about the razor gangs in darlinghurst in sydney in the 1920s called razorhurst. can't even remember who wrote it, that's how helpful I am, but it's an excellent read if you can track it down. The area was considered the most dangerous slum in the world at the time, fools would just slash random people in the face with straight razors...
Not sure if this is related...
Edit: "Adapted from the award winning book Razor, by Larry Writer ?? 2001, Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd." - that's the one.
http://www.schifferbooks.com/newschiffer/book_template.php?isbn=9780764329685
She studies under Horiyoshi III and the book contains tons of never-before published photos of his work.
sounds interesting, thanks for the head's up.
on the true crime, tip... anyone read this one?
NOT a great book, but I read it for the bmore connection and realized shortly into it that the dude writing the book ran a large portion of bmore organized crime in the 80s from a house about 5 doors down from where I live, dumped a few bodies off a bridge at the end of our block, etc. That elevated it from a decent read to rather riveting for me.
This is turn of the century, so may not be of interest but I heard the author get interviewed about this book when it originally came out.
http://www.amazon.com/Depraved-Definitiv...02156726&sr=1-5
Guy set up a murder house in Chicago where he would kill people and then hide them in the house. Pretty crazy story if I remember the interview correctly.
I am interested as I believe David Fincher is looking at possibly adapting this... isn't it set around the World Fair? Anyone read the book?
http://www.amazon.com/Devil-White-City-M...02159745&sr=1-1
The guy H.H. Holmes seems pretty crazy and evil. He had all these hidden rooms, chutes throughout the house, etc. to dispose of the bodies.