I remember August as being the hottest month of the summer but, so far, this one has been feeling a lot cooler then normal. Still, the days are long, the living is easy, and there are plenty of books out there that need to be read.
And, I have a slight twist to an old category in this chapter so let's get to it.
Series
Booked To Die - John Dunning ($7.99/$4.07, copyright 1992, 394 pages, Paperback)
Last month I told you about my first experience with Dunning's Cliff Janeway series. I was so impressed that I ordered the first volume through Thriftbooks.com (shameless plug) . Here he introduces Janeway, a Denver Detective (with a love of books) who has developed an unhealthy obsession with one particular criminal, and the murder of a small-time book agent causes him to step over the line. After that, he turns his attention full-time to books and even opens his own store. There's a lot of interaction between Janeway and the other Bookmen in town but that past murder crops up again, and some new ones strike close to home. The mystery holds your interest but, to me, it's almost secondary to the book talk and the tips on what to look for. I really enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous - Books That Were Made Into Movies
No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy ($14.00/$.25, copyright 2005, 309 pages, Trade Paperback)
I'm gonna tell you up front that I did not see this movie, although I did see the trailers and I probably - subconsciously - identified the characters with the actors. That doesn't really matter. It's a simple enough story. A guy stumbles on to the aftermath of a failed drug deal and walks away with the money. He winds up being hunted by a vicious killer. There's also a local sheriff trying to find him, and trying to catch the killer. I have to admit that I'm not a McCarthy fan. I've tried reading him because one of my nephews used to speak highly of him. I don't get it. McCarthy doesn't use quotation marks when he writes conversations, which I found confusing at times, and there are times when McCarthy jumps from one scene to another leaving gaps in the story. Finally, he tells the story through all 3 main characters but, with some minor exceptions, the voice doesn't change. It was OK.
The Night of The Hunter - Davis Grubb ($11.10*/$6.65, copyright 1953, 255 pages, Trade Paperback)
Does the title sound familiar? That's right, this is the book that the movie was based on. Back on August 6th I mentioned Robert Mitchum's birthday on Facebook and included a clip from this picture. While looking for that clip I found out about the book and, not being able to find it on my own, ordered in through Thriftbooks.com (another shameless plug). We learn up-front that a man is convicted and executed for a robbery/murder, but the money is never recovered. The rest of the book deals with his widow, his children, and a homicidal maniac posing as a Preacher who's after the money. Grubb gives it all that Down South/Bible-thumping feel, overlaid with just the right amount of creepiness and suspense. It comes down to a young boy's struggle to keep the word he swore to versus an adult with no regard for the Word he sways people with. It really gives depth to how Mitchum and the rest of the cast brought these characters to life. (To be perfectly clear, Grubb doesn't use quotation marks when he writes conversations either, but he makes it easy to understand.) I really enjoyed it.
(* This copy of the book was actually printed in England in 1968 and has a cover price of 3 pounds, 50 pence. I Googled the exchange rate for the time and came up with a converted price of $11.10.)
Catch the "slight twist to an old category"?
Well, that's another month down and Summer on the wane. I actually like Autumn. There's a crispness to the air, a brightness to Nature's colors, and the evenings start to get cool enough that you want to just hunker down in bed with a good book. Till next month ...
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